Slipping Memories
by Moirae333
Summary: Usagi/Seiya, Usagi/Mamoru, Ami/Taiki, Minako/Yaten. Once upon a time, Starfighter died for Princess Serenity, the woman she loved more than anything in the galaxy, and Queen Serenity sealed away the memories from her daughter.
1. ichi: wherein time is a river

**Title: **Slipping Memories

**Rating: **PG-13 / 14A

**Genre: **drama, romance, angst, war, action and slash (female)

**Period: **the majority of the story takes place about two years after Sailor Moon Sailor Stars, with flashbacks to the Silver Millennium.

**Pairings:** Tsukino Usagi/Chiba Mamoru and Usagi/Seiya Kou. There will also be Yaten Kou/Aino Minako and Taiki Kou/Muzino Ami. Please note that there will be Starfighter/Usagi, Starmaker/Ami and Starhealer/Minako as well, and this includes all their collective reincarnations. Lesser pairings that are more background include Michiru/Haruka and Princess Pluto/male OC, female OC/female OC, Princess Kakyuu/male OC

**Summary:** once upon a time, Sailor Starfighter died for Princess Serenity, the woman she loved more than anything in the galaxy, and Queen Serenity sealed away the memories from her daughter. Now, with the rightful memories of the Silver Millennium released by Queen Serenity, it seems that history is about to repeat itself.

**Disclaimer: **Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon is the property and copyright of Takeuchi Naoko, Koudansha, TV Asahi, Toei Douga, or any companies that have purchased legal reproduction rights to Sailor Moon. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. The plot and all original characters, however, are created by the writer and are not to be replicated by another.

**Writer's Notes (revised 15 November 2009): **I am writing a Sailor Moon fanfiction. Wow. I have not tried this for around five years, but recently I was watching the subtitled series with a friend and got this urge to do a story. That happens ever so often with me. I hope everyone likes it. It was meant to be a short, maybe forty-page fanfiction, but it is now almost seventy pages and still going. This story can be classified as an AU (alternate universe). Major AU, I basically re-wrote the Silver Millennium.

As you may have guessed, this story is about the Starlights in the Silver Millennium. I've noticed that there are a few out there, which I have yet to read, but hopefully this one has different twists than those do. Hopefully it's not the same old tale.

I have created a few, rather a lot, of original characters to fulfil housekeeping roles in the story, particularly in the Silver Millennium. The story does not focus on original characters though.

Please check out the artwork I had commissioned by reirei18, Ashlea and Mei-mei, which can be found on my website for Slipping Memories, near the bottom of the page (take out the spaces): h t t p : / / m o i r a e 3 3 3 . b r a v e h o s t . c o m / s m . h t m l . You could also go to my website, click on Sailor Moon fanfiction, and click on Slipping Memories. I just love the artwork, it is so beautiful and captures everything so perfectly. There will be a total of six images that I want done for this story, so please check the site often.

Please consider a review if you are enjoying the story. Thanks to everyone who has added this to their alerts, favourites, C2s and reviewed -hugs- (I am terrible for writing long essays before the actual story, sorry ^^)

**Slipping Memories**

**ichi: wherein time is a river**

Sailor Pluto stood by the gates of time, her widened eyes staring at the flashes of lightning in the deadened sky. Dark clouds spread shadows across the inter-dimensional chamber, sent electric shivers deep into her marrow. Strong winds howled and her black fuku fluttered to the storm's rhythm, the keys around her waist rattling to their own distinctive tones. She trembled when archaic energies cracked down through the air and thrashed against the doorway into the ages.

The entryway behind the senshi of time blazed with crimson and sapphire hues. She gripped her staff tighter within her white-knuckled hands, and she took a step away from the passage. A thunderous explosion echoed in her ears and announced the arrival of a time-traveller. Sailor Pluto bowed low as a woman with an odango hair-style stepped through.

"Your majesty," Pluto greeted the queen of a dead civilization.

Queen Serenity placed a gentle hand on Pluto's shoulder. "Rise, my dear friend."

Pluto straightened as Serenity dropped her hand, replacing it within the other. The ghostly imprint left by the queen's touch absorbed into Pluto's body and warmed her blood against the icy storm.

"Serenity-sama, what brings your spirit from the ruins of your devastated kingdom?" Pluto enquired with a voice dripped in anxiety. Her crimson gaze softened, lines worried upon her paled face as the chromatic lightning in the skies spread and became more relentless as time slowly passed.

A frown tugged on the corners of Serenity's lips and tears brimmed in her slate-blue eyes, but she remained silent as the doorway through time erupted in vibrant shades of emerald and topaz. Pluto's body vibrated with the energy, and she carefully watched Serenity's focus flash apprehensively toward the gate.

"An urgent matter wakes me from my slumber," Serenity began. "I journey to this neutral location to hear news of the future. I wish to know if my concerns are relevant." The translucent wings that sprouted from her shoulder blades were motionless in the erratic gusts of wind, but her silvery-white hair violently danced with the elements. She folded her hands on top of each other and placed them behind her back; Pluto remembered this simple action from long ago, as though the queen didn't know what she ought to do with her hands.

Another silhouette of a woman appeared in the threshold of time, and she stepped through, her long blonde hair trailing across the ground, collecting dirt. Sailor Pluto bowed, but only after she noticed the odango-hairstyle that the queen shared with her mother.

Neo-Queen Serenity's gown had long-since been the pure colour of white. A fresh gash on her cheek trickled blood down her chin and neck, landing softly on the fabric and seeping into the golden spheres. The dress had been torn from her hip into a slant that revealed bruised legs. She offered a weak smile and embraced Sailor Pluto into a rigid hug.

"My queens." Pluto's voice broke, and she released Neo-Queen Serenity. "What has shattered the amity of the kingdom? What grounds have brought two generations forth--" she suddenly stopped her disheartened inquiry as cold pebbles of water fell onto her face. Raising a palm to the sky, she caught a few opaque raindrops, and she stared at the blackened sky as the storm clouds burst.

Neo-Queen Serenity glanced at her mother, her frantic eyes glazing over with unspoken fear as she chewed on her bottom lip, her hands wringing together. "As you can see, Pluto-san, time grows short as we stand idle. Mother and I must come to a decision, otherwise our world may not survive to see another moonrise and sunset. We have come for your wise counsel."

The dark-green haired senshi nodded. "I understand. How may I be of service, my queens?"

"Your peaceful realm suffers from the aftermaths of war in Crystal Tokyo. I do not understand what is happening to my kingdom, Pluto-san. Our world is falling apart, disappearing as though it never were. We are being attacked, black energy has covered my planet and possessed my people. Something has changed in the distant past, something I cannot comprehend, something that might be connected to the Silver Millennium." Her voice broke into a sob and tears fell from her eyes, leaving sparking paths through the dirt on her face.

"I do not understand, I have not sensed anything amiss in the past, your majesty."

Neo-Queen Serenity wiped her face with a strip of fabric she had torn from her gown. "You would not, Pluto-san. Time is attempting to correct itself, to ebb and flow as it was meant to, not as it was forced to. There is nothing amiss for you to sense. Memories that were kept from my senshi and myself have been awoken inside of me"--she bit her lower lip, fighting to hold back another sob--"and it has destroyed my kingdom."

Sailor Pluto's face paled and her expression faltered, but only for a moment. She blinked and slowly exhaled, analyzing the issue from all angles before answering. "If the past is correcting itself," she began, thoughtfully choosing her words, "then the rising darkness cannot be avoided. The river of time will always return to the flow it has eroded in rock. A pebble thrown into the waters will cause expanding ripples, but it is only temporary. The ripples disperse. Time flows again as intended."

"We must avert that initial pebble, the cause for the correction in time," the queens spoke simultaneously, briefly glancing at each other.

Neo-Queen Serenity wrung her hands together and averted her gaze toward the dark sky. White lightning reflected in her crystal blue eyes, and she shuddered as a thunderous explosion erupted overhead.

"For reasons ambiguous to me," she began with a trembling voice, "when I awoke from the icy slumber, my memories of the past--my true memories as I had lived them--had been restored. But this was not the case for all the senshi. The future you foretold, Pluto-san, did happen. My destiny was wrought in stone; I married Mamo-chan and brought a wonderful daughter into this world. That emptiness I felt inside . . . I thought that if I ignored it, it would disappear like _he _did. I was mistaken. Our world cannot survive with the senshi of the universe split between two dimensions of the past. Time cannot co-exist with itself, superimposed upon each other, yet not fully existing. It must be corrected."

"It was your mother's wish that those memories remain quiescent, Serenity-sama."

"I am aware of my wishes, Pluto. But the darkness is emerging over the horizon and my husband sleeps without his love tonight. It would be simple to awaken the past in the senshi, it would then be Princess Serenity's judgment that determined the future, rather than my misguided decisions. But to hold true to my desires and keep the false dimension of the past in the minds of the senshi would be difficult. To find that one pebble in the river of time is something not even you can do, my old friend. And even so, perhaps this all happened for a reason. Perhaps my daughter deserves to know passionate love like she felt during the reign of the Silver Millennium."

Sailor Pluto bowed at the waist. "Let the senshi hold their fate."

"We concur."

**/end ichi**

in the next instalment:  
_ni: wherein sailor starhealer has nightmares_


	2. ni: wherein starhealer has nightmares

**Writer's Notes: **Thank you to all those who have read and especially reviewed, I adore hearing what people are thinking about the story. The parts of the story that are in _italics _are flashback sequences to the Silver Millennium.

I will be using a few Japanese words and honourifics when writing this fanfiction, as well as numbering the chapters in Japanese. Here is a short list for those who are not familiar with them:

**Japanese Words:**

_Senshi_: refers to the Sailor Senshi, "warrior"  
_Fuku_: the senshi's sailor uniform, "outfit"  
_Odango_: refers to the hairstyle that Usagi wears, "dumpling"  
_Hai: _"yes" or shows agreement  
_Arigato: _"thank you"  
_Gomen (nasai): _"I'm sorry"  
_Baka_: "fool" / "idiot"

**Honourifics:**

-san (title of respect for males or females)-sama (title of respect, the formal version of -san, for someone with a high rank)  
-sei: added after the name of a planet, means "star" or planet (I used the English planet names rather than the Japanese names just to avoid confusion since a lot of planets are mentioned in some chapters)  
-hime (rarely used suffix referring to "princess" or a beautiful woman)  
-chan (informal version of -san used in cases of friendship, children or female family)  
-jin (person [used on context of planetary nationality in this story])

**ni: wherein starhealer has nightmares **

_The kingdom on Earth's moon was magnificent in its last days before the self-stylised Queen Beryl unleashed her powers on the long-lived aliens. The azure waters and jade forests of Earth-sei glistened in the light reflected from the moon's regolith surface, painted against the canvas of the starry skies. The third terrestrial planet of the solar system was exquisite this night, but its beauty paled and faltered in comparison to the Moon Princess, Serenity. _

_A marble balcony, supported by spiral towers surrounded by ivory vine flowers, jetted from the Moon Palace. A lone woman stood with her hands clasping the railing, staring at the stars as the cool night air gathered its influence at her painted fingertips. Although the Earth loomed in the crystal blue eyes of the princess, so significant that it was almost all she could see, the Earth was not her focal point. In the distance, light-years away, a pale star came into existence, its aura flickering in faint baby blue colour. _

"_Serenity-hime," a voice sounded from a corridor behind her._

_She spun around, her face obscured by shadow. "Venus-chan?"_

_Princess Venus came forward, her golden-blonde hair swaying in the evening breeze. "A messenger arrived earlier from the Andromeda galaxy, mistress." She held an unrolled parchment in her left hand, creased to a point where the writing was almost unreadable; the guardian senshi had argued over who would be the bearer of unfortunate news._

_She drew in a deep breath and recited the messenger's letter as she committed it to memory. " '_He _regrets to inform her highness, odango-hime, that _he_ was retained with the cross-galaxy guard and will not arrive tonight. If the princess of the high sky planet does not let him pass, then her royal odango-hime will be relieved of one crowned monarch'." _

_The blonde princess's expression fell and she twisted away from Venus to hide the tears swelling in her eyes, threatening to spill over. "H-hai. Arigato, Venus-chan," she whispered in a broken voice, and listened as Venus's footfalls became softer and softer as she walked away._

_When Prince Endymion of Earth appeared in the gardens below, Serenity sighed and faked a smile._

. : .

Sailor Starhealer awoke with a start, beads of sweat glistening around her silver hairline. "Usagi-chan . . . Minako-chan?" she murmured, clenching fistfuls of white bed linens in her trembling hands.

---

Crimson lilies with soft white speckles were blooming across the imperial grounds and scattered along the sides of the cobblestone pathway that led to the gates of the castle. Shining stone, formed deep within the molten nucleus of the small planet, had been excavated and fashioned into a majestic palace worthy of the Queen's fiery beauty. Statues of generals and warriors lined the luxuriant green grass, and rose-tinged water trickled down to pool in reflective puddles at the cement bases.

The planet of Kinmoku was flourishing in the aftermaths of war.

Vacant emerald eyes, hidden behind the darkened glass windows of the castle, gazed across the field of flowers, watching as the petals danced with the winds. The sinking fire sphere cast its burnished light over the lilies and the woman's silver hair, joining its brother that had set only hours before. Two waning moons and one full moon emerged in the sky and threw moon-shadows across the grounds as the suns set below the horizon.

The soft scent of the orange osmanthus olive tree filled the humid air. Sailor Starhealer turned and caught the cherry-coloured eyes of her princess. She bowed awkwardly, her arms stiff at her sides, but Kakyuu tightly embraced her.

"My beloved Starhealer," she whispered and released her. She twisted toward the window, the washed-out yellow of her sleeve trailing across the stone of the windowsill as she pointed to the construction across the field. Princess Kakyuu momentarily glanced at her senshi, her fiery hair reflected in Starhealer's saddened gaze.

Starhealer cleared her throat, embarrassment colouring her cheeks a light pink colour. "I apologise, Kakyuu-hime, I should be working with the others."

The crown princess of Kinmoku-sei offered Starhealer a warm smile. "Starfighter's and Starmaker's work came to an end at moonrise. They have retired to their chambers for the night. Please join them and continue construction tomorrow," she asked in such a gentle tone that this was a request, not a demand.

"Slumber brings nightmares, Kakyuu-hime," Starhealer replied simply, turning away.

Kakyuu chuckled, and then quickly covered her mouth to muffle the sound, her eyes widening as though she couldn't believe that the sound came from her lips. "The haunts of sleep are not a worthy adversary. Not for you, love. The kingdom in your dreams does not exist," she said, but only because she didn't know she spoke a lie. "Sleep tonight, for tomorrow will bring its own darkness."

Starhealer's eyes flashed with frustration and she clenched her fists at her sides.

"Control your temper around me, Starhealer," she counselled. "I am not your comrades." She placed her hand on Starhealer's shoulder and removed it in the same motion. She stared at her senshi as she walked by, silently begging the powers that brought Starhealer the dreadful night-dreams to let her sleep. Even for a night.

**/end ni**

in the next instalment:  
_san: wherein queen serenity visits princess kakyuu_


	3. san: wherein serenity visits kakyuu

**Writer's Notes:** Thank you and hugs to all those who have read, reviewed added this story to their favourites and/or alerts. You guys just make my day -hugs-

**san: wherein queen serenity visits princess kakyuu**

An alien queen walked through the shimmering halls of the Kinmoku-sei castle, her footsteps echoing through the citrine stone. The early morning suns cast delicate streaks of light through the tinted windows. It reflected brilliantly her silver-white bangs, which hung over slate-blue eyes and framed a golden crescent moon shining on her forehead. Queen Serenity stopped in front of the snowflake obsidian doorway into the royal chambers, her hand caressing the carved stone before pushing open the heavy doors.

"My beloved sister's daughter," Serenity greeted warmly, her eyes haunted with an inner pain as she fixated them on the princess without her prince. "How the years have passed between us. You look like you did thousands of years ago."

Princess Kakyuu rose and stepped from her deceased mother's throne. She took a few wavering steps forward before noticing the image of Queen Serenity flickered as though it were merely an apparition. A cold wind blew into the chamber through the closed windows and Kakyuu shuddered unintentionally from deep within her bones as it coursed over her skin.

"Queen Serenity-sama." Her breath escaped her as she spoke, her eyes held astonishment.

Translucent wings on Serenity's back fluttered in the mystical breeze. "Don't speak, Kakyuu-hime. My time here is not long, for my power wanes as the moon sets. I must attend to business. When I sealed my daughter and her senshi with the power of the moon crystal and sent them to the future, I confess I altered the memories of your senshi, as well as mine. The future of my beloved kingdom depended on the alliance with the Earth-people. And it pains me to say that your senshi destroyed my aspirations.

"But"--Serenity grimaced, and wrought her hands together as she continued--"the future which I gave my daughter through _her _sacrifice is being destroyed. The memories which had previously laid dormant in the mind of Serenity-hime emerged from the hidden chasms during her long slumber when the Earth crystallized with ice and hoarfrost. But your senshi, Kakyuu-sama, as well as the guardians of my devastated kingdom, were not as fortunate."

Kakyuu nodded in understanding, her cheeks drained of their vibrant colour and her heart aching with sorrow. "Your world could not exist with only half the past," the red-haired princess whispered, her fingers unconsciously touching her bottom lip. "Oh, Serenity-sama!" Kakyuu's eyes glistened with unshed tears and she reached to take Serenity's hand with her own, but her slender fingers passed through the spirit of the deceased queen.

Serenity watched Kakyuu's fingers pass through her own. A fleeting regret passed over her face as she quickly clasped her hands behind her back as though she were ashamed of her ethereal body.

"I've held counsel with the Queen of Crystal Tokyo and the senshi of time. We have resolved to bequeath the fate of the world into my daughter's hands, but in order to do this, all their true memories must be returned. A thousand years ago, my kingdom would have perished if it were not for the union of Serenity and Endymion. But that was a thousand years ago, and the future is a thousand years away. Only the fates know if time is to repeat itself. Perhaps, Serenity's love for another will not bring death to millions. But now is not the time for such talk. I wish to know your opinion, Kakyuu-hime." Her eyes were downcast toward the smooth ebony floor of the throne chamber as though her words brought remorse.

Kakyuu's heart swelled with grief when Serenity's smooth voice cracked, holding back a shuddering sob, and she swallowed a lump forming in her throat. "My beloved Starhealer has been suffering nightmares for a fortnight about the destruction of a kingdom. Am I correct to assume that this is the Moon Kingdom she observes through closed eyes? I do not think that the decision rests in our hands any longer. Some force greater than us is moulding the future.

"Restore their memories tonight, Serenity-sama."

**/end san**

in the next instalment:  
_shi: wherein the sailor starlights remember_


	4. shi: wherein the starlights remember

**Writer's Notes: **Thank you and hugs to all those who have read, reviewed, added this story to their favourites and/or alerts. You guys just make my day -hugs- The flashback sequences are in italics (some--eh most--memories are fragmented and what exactly occurred will be explained later).

**shi: wherein the sailor starlights remember**

_Seiya Kou hid in the dancing shadows cast by the marble pillars of the balcony and gently embraced a Kinmoku-sei rose within his left hand, caressing the mottled petals. The largest star in the solar system had yet to rise over the moon's horizon, the only lights that pierced the grounds of the imperial palace were dimly emitted from firefly lanterns hanging on walnut trees. Two honour guards stood with their hands frozen upon the hilts of their swords beside the silver gates, which sparkled even without the light of the sun. _

_The air was dense with memories of earlier animosities between Queen Serenity of the Moon and Queen Kalyke of Earth-sei. Rumours of war drifted from the noble folk to the peasants of the Moon Kingdom, becoming more believable and outrageous as they flowed from the Moon to the other planetary kingdoms in the solar system._

_Seiya's azure eyes flickered and focussed on the flashes of light veiled behind the satin drapes of the Moon Princess's private chambers. He moistened his bottom lip with his tongue, watching as her lithe silhouette diffused onto the fabric. His heart leapt into his throat as she dragged the curtains to the side, tying them with ivory fringes._

_The soft-spoken princess jumped and a small yelp escaped her lips when she spotted the young man in her gardens below, his dark guard uniform framed against vibrant white lilies. Pink apple hues flushed to her cheeks as she recognised him, her eyes sparkled like diamonds. She leaned far out the window, her hand reaching toward him, her fingers twitching._

_The black-haired senshi twirled the flower in his hand and presented it to his lover. _

"_It's beautiful!" Serenity exhaled, her words dissipating on her breath and into the night air. She gently took the rose within her cupped hands, fearful of crushing her lover's gift. The silky petals burst forth from the centre--the exquisite blood-red colour quickly mellowed, and all that was left as it reached the edges of the petals were a small number of flecks. _

"_It is to your liking, odango-hime?" Seiya asked the seventeen-year-old, knowing her answer._

_The Princess nodded and glowed with radiance as she inhaled the soft scent of the flower--it reminded her of honeyed stardust, a sugared candy that her father had given her when she was young. Serenity disappeared into her chambers, replaced Endymion's dying rose with Seiya's, and hurried through the palace to meet her lover before the sun mounted higher in the sky. _

_Unknown to them, Queen Serenity watched the reunion with mournful eyes. _

. : .

In the aeon of peace across the galaxies, Sailor Starfighter awoke in a dry sweat, gasping for air as though her lungs threatened to collapse. Her heart thudded violently beneath her ribcage, her eyes took on a wounded look.

"Odango . . . _my _odango. . . ." she whispered, taking care not to disturb her sleeping cousins. But in the darkness of night, Starmaker and Starhealer stirred and moaned in their sleep, tossing the heavy blankets from their war-toned bodies. Then, in a sudden moment, they jolted awake, alert from their dream states. The three comrades stared at each other with slacked mouths.

Lightning cracked above their heads and thunder rolled through the castle as myriad memories suddenly surged into the minds of the Sailor Starlights and Princess Kakyuu.

Their white knuckled hands clenched at their heads - - - -

_/ / The cerulean-haired princess of Mercury-sei emitted her brilliant aura from her castle and over her crater-covered planet. Her deep blue eyes fluttered open as she found the fading life force of her temporary honour general, and she forced her life energy into the motionless woman. _

_In a flash, the mercury-insignia on her forehead shone with a radiant sapphire flame. On the devastated battlefield of her ruined planet, a young woman with long, chocolate hair and violet eyes stirred and whispered the princess's name with immense love and admiration. Mercury's energy flashed over the small planet, touched the sun and Venus-sei, and brought the dying woman back into the safety of the biosphere. The princess slouched forward, across the chest of her beloved general, and passed into unconsciousness. _

- - - - against the splitting pain and - - - -

/ / _Sailor Starfighter stood as Seiya Kou in the cross-galaxy station, staring at the Milky Way galaxy through a small view screen. The silver and golden orchid from his native planet had wilted in his hand from this irritating delay. Seiya's hand crushed around it, blood surging to his fists. The beautiful, dead petals drifted to the metal flooring and passed through the grating._

"_Your travels into the Milky Way have been denied, Seiya," a masculine voice spoke from the darkness. Seiya turned, stared into the cocky smirk of the crown-princess of Uranus, and forced himself to bite back a few well-chosen insults._

_A beautiful maiden, wearing a sea-green dress that appeared to rippled around her like the water, stepped forward and clasped hands with the princess of Uranus. "Now you know that's not true, love," her soft voice drifted through the chamber like music, and for a moment the sounds the ocean could be heard. "Serenity-sama has welcomed him with her gentle heart."_

_The blue-green eyes of Uranus sparkled with abhorrence. "Hai." _

- - - - gritted their teeth with snarls of agony - - - -

/ / _Sailor Starhealer flushed as she thought Aphrodite herself was emerging from the golden clouds and laying her gentle hands upon her shoulders. The silver-haired senshi fell forward to her knees, for she could not comprehend how to pay homage to a goddess that brought turmoil and jealousy among the higher immortals. _

_This goddess of lust and beauty shone with a brilliant light from within as she pulled Starhealer to her feet, twirling her around to a silent waltz. She giggled, her golden eye-paint sparkling in the light emitted from deep within her soul. She suddenly stopped and leaned forward to whisper in Starhealer's ear._

"_I cannot fall for women, even if they are almost as beautiful as me," she started, "I know senshi from Kinmoku-sei can chameleon themselves to resemble men from the Orion Arm. That is, if they are powerful enough."_

_After that moment, Yaten Kou stood before the crowned princess of Venus, and he crushed his lips against hers as though she was the air he needed to breath. _

- - - - to halt piercing cries of pain - - - -

_/ / Seiya cupped Princess Serenity's face with his hands and bent forward to press his lips to hers, but the princess fought against his loving touch. Seiya's eyes clouded over with pain and became hidden in dark shadows as he gave Serenity a miserable, pleading expression that broke the princess's heart. She took his hands and clasped them tightly within hers, rubbing her cheek and then pressing her lips against them._

"_Gomen, my love," the princess whispered, tears flowing freely from her crystal blue eyes. _

- - - - and as soon as the turmoil started, it had ended - - - -

/ / _Sailor Starfighter knelt on one knee before the moon princess, her head bowed and her black hair falling limply before her blue eyes. Her sailor fuku was tattered to rags and a deep gash across her arm seeped dark crimson blood onto the yellowing grass. _

"_My odango-hime," she whispered, choking back tears. "Gomen. . . ." _

- - - - the past was once again where it belonged--in the minds of those who lived it.

"Starhealer, Starfighter? This seems quite problematic," a voice sounded through the chamber.

And, "What does she mean almost as beautiful as her!?"

**/end shi**

in the next instalment:  
_go: wherein the decision is made to return to earth_


	5. go: wherein decision is made to return

**Writer's Notes: **Thank you and hugs to all those who have read, reviewed, added this story to their favourites and/or alerts. You guys just make my day -hugs- I must say, when this chapter was uploaded, I had thirty pages of this story written and I thought I was almost done. I am at seventy pages now, as of 15 November 2009. So much for my short Sailor Moon story, LOL.

**go: wherein the decision is made to return to earth**

Sailors Starhealer, Starmaker and Starfighter knelt before their fire-haired Princess Kakyuu and, for the first time in their collective reincarnations, were at a loss for words. Their beautiful faces were etched with dreadful desperation and vacant eyes stared catatonically ahead, past Kakyuu and into the darkness of reverie. Their breath caught in their throats, threatening to drown them with live-giving air, as their minds raced through myriad memories pushing into their psyche.

"Rise, my beloved friends," the princess spoke, rising from her dead mother's throne.

The illumination from the planet's two stars shone through the crystal windows and upon the three guardian senshi of Kinmoku-sei. The royal chamber, which was once splendidly adorned with fragrant orange blossoms, sparkling crimson jewels and exquisite gold, was now plainly decorated in light of Princess Kakyuu's gentle sovereignty over her kingdom. The daughter of Queen Kakyuu did not share the extravagant taste of her mother or her deceased lover.

"Why does Starhealer trouble us with her nightmares?" Starfighter demanded, her voice like an icy breeze flowing through the chamber. She stood, her eyes narrowing, and gave her comrade a venomous stare, (which Starfighter yearned had the power to transform Starhealer into stone). "Why must she remind us of that which we already lost!?" Her fists convulsed as she pressed her long fingernails into her palms, drawing faint pin-points of blood to suppress the rage she felt growing deep within.

The emerald-eyed senshi smacked Starfighter over the head; she then favoured her throbbing hand against her chest, sending her cousin the same venomous expression. "Baka! If I were responsible, do you really think that Minako-chan would be the more beautiful one!?" She crossed her arms and stuck her delicate, pointy nose up at Starfighter. "And you would have died from your battle wounds," she added matter-of-factly.

"Baka," Starfighter mumbled as she rubbed her head, her eyes smouldering.

Kakyuu raised her hand, motioning her guardians to be silent and still. "They are not nightmares of the imagination and Starhealer-san had nothing to do with them, my loves. They are memories from your previous reincarnation that the Queen of the Moon kept from you all, for the sake of her beloved kingdom," she spoke and her gentle voice floated through the chamber, cooling and dousing the heat rising from the senshi's skin.

"Nani? Odango?"

Kakyuu shook her head, her hair swaying around her elegant, pale face. "The Moon Queen Serenity-sama. Your odango's mother during the time known as the Silver Millennium, a thousand years ago."

Starmaker's violet eyes were downcast toward the ebony floor and her lips thinned into a frown as she spoke the concern plaguing all their minds. "What do we do now, Kakyuu-hime?"

Kakyuu's eyes clouded over with sorrow and her shoulders relaxed, exhaustion overtaking her. "We return to earth. Determine if the other senshi have regained their memories as well, and decide what this means for the future of our kingdoms," she whispered softly, dropping her chin to her chest and her gaze downward, consequently hiding her emotions from her guardians.

"Hai," the Starlights spoke together, bowing to Kakyuu. Starfighter and Starmaker left the chamber to begin their preparations for the journey to Earth-sei, but Starhealer remained behind with her princess.

Her eyes shone with unshed tears as she asked knelt again before Kakyuu. She clasped her hands together, scooting forward on her knees with large, glistening eyes. "Kakyuu-sama," she began, showing high respect, "is Minako-chan truly more beautiful than I?"

**/end go**

in the next instalment:  
_roku: wherein the starlights return _


	6. roku: wherein the starlights return

**Writer's Notes: **Thank you and hugs to all those who have read, reviewed, added this story to their favourites and/or alerts or C2s. You guys just make my day, -hugs- and -cookies- Please check out my Harry Potter fanfictions if you like that fandom too.

**roku: wherein the starlights return **

The Sailor Starlights and Princess Kakyuu stood upon the rooftop of Juuban Municipal High School, which held sorrowful memories of their departure from Earth-sei nearly two years ago. The planet's sun was setting beneath the horizon and casting a warm, golden light over the four aliens, and the cool evening winds were blowing gently through their hair.

With a sudden flash of light, the Starlights transformed into their Earth-sei male civilian forms of Seiya Kou, Taiki Kou and Yaten Kou, wearing the crimson, golden and cerulean suits they had always worn for their concerts. The fireball princess stared at her guardians for several long seconds before she altered her appearance to be less conspicuous--instead she wore a simple sun dress resembling flames.

"I don't know what to say to her," Seiya whispered into the wind.

Silken rose petals, a shade lighter than the colour of Seiya's suit, danced through the air and the force of the wind increased, gusting around them and thrashing against their bodies. Beautiful classical music, the ghost of a violin melody, could be heard deep within the howls as two shadows appeared behind them.

"Your travels into our solar system have been denied, Seiya," a masculine voice spoke through the wind, unintentionally paralleling a conversation that occurred many centuries ago.

Seiya turned, stared into the cocky smirk of Sailor Uranus, and offered one in return. "Is that an order from my odango-hime?" he asked, his inflection rising with the last word. He slanted his eyebrows, his gaze flashed with laughter as the senshi of the high skies glared, her mouth quirking in anger.

"World . . ." Sailor Uranus yelled as she raised her hand into the air, gathering a golden planet of energy above her head. "Shaking!" And she brought it down, releasing it toward Seiya, but he rolled onto the ground, barely dodging it.

"Your aim needs improvement," Seiya noted as he stood without a scratch. He caught Uranus's eyes with his own as he straightened his posture, shoulders thrust back and head held high.

Sailor Neptune laughed, the malleable sound caressed everyone's skin as her soft green hair wafted about her slender shoulders. "Her aim is flawless," she observed as the golden sphere ricochet off the invisible energy the wind, Uranus's life-force, and returned, smacking Seiya in the back.

The blast forced Seiya forward, he screamed and fell to his hands and knees, his chest heaving as he fought for breath. Blood trickled from his mouth, dropping onto the pebbles of the rooftop when he spoke, "So it is." He wiped the blood away with the back of his hand and refused the help of Yaten and Taiki as he staggering to his feet.

Sailor Uranus poised her space sword at Seiya. It shone with a vibrant golden light as she willed energy into the blade. "You are not welcomed here, intruders!" She leapt forward and aimed to bring her sword down on Seiya's head.

"Uranus!" a voice cried, and the sword stopped just as it touched Seiya's neck.

The senshi paused, Uranus's arms quivering as she longed to finish her attack, and found a tall woman with dark-green hair standing in the light of the setting sun.

"The Queen has offered them safe passage," Sailor Pluto informed Uranus and Neptune.

The senshi of the sky smiled, letting a soft chuckle escape her lips as she lowered her sword. "Hai," she mused. "I know. Otherwise, he would not have survived the attack." With that, both Neptune and Uranus departed, rose petals and music floating through the wind. Sailor Pluto nodded at the Kinmoku-sei aliens and disappeared.

"Eeto . . . what do we do now?"

---

A woman with hair the colour of fertile soil floated high in the midnight sky. Her tightly-bound curls blew around her slender face, and her burnt orange skirts fluttered behind her slim figure as gusts of wind emerged from high in the clouds. Her crimson lips thinned into a frown as she noticed soft, silvery speckles coming from the full moon, drifting over the city of Tokyo. Her eyes, the colour of vibrant woodlands, narrowed and she struck her hand outward. Ebony crystals appeared from her fingertips and blanketed the city below, gathering the silver specks as they fell from the moon.

However, unknown to the beautiful woman, a small number of the silver fragments passed through holes in the ebony-crystal blanket, and glided on wings of the wind through the city toward the Azabu-Juuban district.

"The future you desire will never come to pass, moon wench!" she growled as the black blanket gathered the silver energy and cast it into the abyss.

---

Tsukino Usagi stared at the white-gold ring sitting innocently in a black-velvet box. The sunlight reflected off a pale pink, European-cut diamond, which was set in the centre and surrounded by thirteen smaller, red diamonds.

"Beautiful," she breathed, before blinking and glancing up at the young man standing before her, as though he had just appeared.

His expression was soft and a gentleness echoed in his eyes that only true love overcoming a thousand years of tragedy could bring. He silently tapped his foot, although he would never betray his annoyance to her.

"What did you say, Mamo-chan?"

Chiba Mamoru bent on one knee, the morning dew gathered on the grass soaking his black trousers, and carefully repeated himself. "Usako, will you do the honour of marrying me?"

Usagi's crystal blue eyes sparkled with an intensity greater than that of the rising sun. "Oh Mamo-chan!" she exclaimed, leaping head-first into his arms to embrace him. Her weight came crashing into his torso, and Mamoru fell backwards into the rose bushes. "Oh Mamo-chan, I am so happy," she mumbled into his forest green shirt.

Mamoru smiled and lovingly wrapped his arms around Usagi's thin frame to help her stand. He carefully took the ring from the box and slid it onto her left ring finger as he pressed his lips and body against hers.

**/end roku**

in the next instalment:  
_sichi: wherein there are beautiful flowers_


	7. sichi: wherein there're beautiful flower

**Writer's Notes: **Thank you and hugs to all those who have read, reviewed, added this story to their favourites and/or alerts or C2s. You guys just make my day, -hugs- and -cookies-

If you check out my webpage (link on my profile), there is a section dedicated to Sailor Moon fanfiction, and therein a section dedicated to this story. There will be some information posted there, as well as artwork from some very talented artists. You can also check out a longer summary, complete with spoilers.

**sichi: wherein there are beautiful flowers**

The disbanded idol group walked the streets of the Azabu-Juuban district in Tokyo toward Sendai Hill. The mid-morning sun hung high in the cold blue sky and did not seem to offer the same warmth to the aliens as the suns of their home world. Around them, young girls stopped and whispered in each other's ears as they stared at the pop idols that were forgotten three months after their departure from Earth-sei. Whispers of a reunion passed from one idol chaser to another as they quickly found another craze to fill their attentions.

"Earth-sei women are still horrible," Yaten Kou commented, exhaling sharply.

Taiki and Seiya ignored him and continued their journey toward the Hikawa Shrine. When they passed a flower shop, they briefly stopped in and purchased three flowers for the woman they travelled to Earth-sei to visit, and then continued on their way.

As they were slowing climbing the many steps that led to the Shinto shrine, the Lights suddenly heard a commotion up ahead. They raced forward, their ponytails waving behind them and their hands poised over their Sailor Star Change. But when they reached the top, all they saw were four clamouring girls surrounding another girl with an odango hairstyle. The three companions sweat-dropped.

"Incredible!"

"How much did he spend?"

"You said yes?"

"Of course she did!"

"Really, how much?"

"It's beautiful, Usagi-chan!"

"Congratulations!"

"No really, how much?!"

The aliens stood there, staring blankly forward for several minutes before they realised that this could last a while (as aliens, they had no comprehension of the effects of an engagement on Earth-sei women). They gathered their courage and cleared their throats, playing with the petals of the exquisite flowers in their hands. The guardian senshi stopped their commotion and slowly turned toward the newcomers, puzzled looks crossing their faces.

"I think we've been forgotten," Yaten chuckled. "These Earth-sei women are truly fickle."

"Yaten-kun!"

"Taiki-kun!"

"Seiya-kun!"

The senshi rushed forward to surround the Lights in attention, leaving Usagi alone with her new (and very expensive) engagement ring. She spun the ring around on her finger as she watched the noisy reunion with delighted eyes that hid only a shadow of sorrow. The sunlight caught the pink diamond and reflected a bright light as Usagi walked toward the senshi.

The girls stepped away from the Three Lights (and Minako finally let Yaten breath for the first time since she wrapped her arms around his neck) as Seiya stepped forward to meet Usagi.

"Odango-hime. . . ." Seiya whispered in reverence as he presented her with the orchid he purchased with her in mind. The three tepals were a silvery-white colour, while the larger medial petal and filaments were ebony in colour and drew in the brilliance around them. Soft golden speckles appeared in the centre of the flower and danced around as though they possessed the power to move within their confinement.

"It's beautiful." Usagi took the flower gently in her hands, afraid she might damage it.

Seiya stared at Usagi and flushed, his eyes warming and heart leaping into his throat. It seemed as though everything around him stopped and became silent as he watched Usagi examine the flower, and he never noticed the four girls peering over his shoulder. Aino Minako's voice jolted him back into a harsh reality.

"Usagi-chan, those would be beautiful in your bridal bouquet!"

Seiya felt his heart fall into his shoes, and he noticed the ring on Usagi's finger for the first time. The sunlight caught the diamonds again, and for a moment, Seiya thought that the ring was taunting him. He wanted nothing more than to wipe that smug little smirk off the ring's face. He turned when he felt Yaten's and Taiki's hands fall upon his shoulders, and he realised that he had taken another step forward.

"Congratulations, odango," Seiya said with a wounded voice as he fought the tears brimming in his azure eyes. His face twisted in anguish as his bottom lip visibly trembled. "I'm glad you got your boyfriend back."

Usagi smiled, her crystal blue eyes brightening only because she didn't understand Seiya's hurt, or his love for her. "Hai. I couldn't have done it without you, Seiya-kun," she beamed.

Seiya shrugged off the comforting hands of his cousins as he turned around and walked back down the stairs, feeling the burrowing eyes of Usagi with each step. The guardian senshi watched him leave with sorrow etched in their eyes and on their faces, (and blamed Minako for saying the wrong thing at the wrong time), but Usagi's face only held confusion at his sudden departure.

"Oh Yaten!" Minako wrapped her hands around his neck, forgetting anything but him when she gazed into his emerald eyes. "I knew you couldn't stay away from me!"

Yaten stuck up his nose at her, but he smirked and assumed a posture of superiority. "I missed Luna. I thought that I would take her back to Kinmoku-sei with me," he said as a warm feeling stirred in his stomach with Minako's irritation (and he suddenly got the impression he had said those words before).

"Can we expect your attendance for Usagi-chan's wedding?" Ami asked Taiki, slightly blushing apple in the cheeks when he gave her his full attention and connected his violet eyes with her deep blue ones.

"We cannot guarantee anything," Taiki replied calmly. He gazed at her quiet beauty for several long seconds before he turned away, a blush creeping into his cheeks. Ami giggled, but her expression turned into one of astonishment when Taiki held his hands up to her, an orchid cupped in his palms.

The orchid resembled the silver and golden one Seiya had given to Usagi, but it was a silvery-blue and dark lilac colour. The speckles of colour danced around the tips of the petals, lapping against the edges like waters along a shoreline.

Ami raised her hands to take the flower, but Taiki positioned it into her cerulean hair.

"Thank you, Taiki-kun." Ami blushed, her fingers lightly brushing against the silken petals. She felt the hot breaths of Rei, Makoto and Minako on her neck as they clamoured around her, admiring the orchid ("Beautiful!", "You're so lucky!", and "Why haven't we received any?").

Yaten stretched his arms behind his head and forced a yawn, feigning interest. "Oi, Minako-chan!" he called, casually tossing her the orchid he bought.

Minako caught the golden-orange and black flower and marvelled at its beauty. The orange specks were heart shaped and sparkled with a golden brilliance against the black petals. "Oh Yaten-kun," Minako squealed, "it's breathtaking! Arigato."

"Would you give that to Luna for me?" Yaten smirked as Minako stuck her tongue out.

Makoto and Rei stared at Taiki and Yaten with an expectant, widened gaze, but knew that the young idols did not have flowers for them. Nonetheless, Taiki muttered an apology, and the senshi turned back toward Usagi, who sat on the wooden step into the shrine, watching them with glowing eyes. Yaten and Taiki expressed their goodbyes and promised to return, before leaving to find Seiya and Princess Kakyuu.

As they left, Rei thought she heard them say, "They don't remember, Taiki!", and "Let us seek counsel with the princess."

**/end sichi**

in the next instalment:  
_hachi: wherein seiya wishes to return to kinmoku-sei_


	8. hachi: wherein seiya wishes to return

**Writer's Notes:** Thank you and hugs to all those who have read, reviewed, added this story to their favourites and/or alerts or C2s. You guys just make my day, -hugs- and -cookies-

This is a shorter chapter since the next segment would read better as its own chapter, and it's more of bridge segment than anything else, but something will happen to Seiya as a result of his request -evil smirk- Please consider letting me know what you think in a review.

**hachi: wherein seiya wishes to return to kinmoku-sei**

Seiya leaned against the lily-covered railing on a wooden bridge expanding over a small brook that hoped one day to be transformed into a stream. Blooming sakura flowers covered the park in a pink blanket of softness and colourful wind socks in the guises of koi-fish fluttered in the breeze. Water fountains spouted clear blue water into the air and small children screamed and ran around, splashing each other with the cold water.

When the breeze brought along with it the faint scent of the orange osmanthus olive tree, Seiya exhaled deeply, closing his eyes against the bright attitudes of the Earth children around him. They shrieked and pulled the hair of a small girl before running off again.

"What did I expect, Kakyuu-hime?" Seiya pondered more to himself than to his princess. He pushed away from the railing, watching as a few of the white lily flowers drifted down into the water, floating downstream. He hugged his shoulders, his chin tucked into his chest, and sighed.

Kakyuu's lips parted into a frown and she took Seiya's hands within hers, gently guiding him toward her. Seiya pulled his hands away, wrung them together, but remained eye-to-eye with Kakyuu.

"It's been two years and a thousand years, all at the same time," he continued, his voice cracking as a sudden feeling of nausea overtook him. "I was foolish to think we could continue as we were. I didn't even consider Chiba-san."

The fire-haired princess embraced Seiya into a tight hug. The tears swelled in his eyes and spilt over, trailing down his cheeks in glistening streams. "My beloved Starfighter, it is apparent that their memories are still falsely ingrained within their minds. We have no other choice expect to wait for Queen Serenity to restore their memories as she restored ours," Kakyuu spoke with a caring voice. "But I cannot tell you that you and the Moon Princess can continue as you were. Queen Serenity's desire to let her daughter hold her own fate came a thousand years too late. Remembrance will not extinguish the feelings she now harbours."

Seiya wiped the tears away with the back of his hand, averting his gaze away from Kakyuu and over the park. "I regret the Moon Queen's decision, who is she to change our lives merely because she regrets her decision? It is selfish, her actions never consider those involved. I wish to return home, Kakyuu-hime."

"Baka, Seiya!" Yaten and Taiki finally caught up with their comrade.

Yaten balled his fist and threatened his dejected comrade with it, but Seiya ducked just in time. "Return to Kinmoku-sei! They don't remember, what happens when they do? You have longed for this girl for over two years and when you are closer than ever before, you are going to be defeated? Just because she has a fiancé? That never stopped you before, Seiya!"

Kakyuu raised her hand to silence her guardians. "Your request is denied. My beloved, your emotions are erratic and thoughts clouded with agony. If you still feel this way after Queen Serenity has fulfilled her promise, then I give you permission to return."

Seiya abruptly shook his head, his mind a thousand years away. "Hai. If you don't mind, I wish to be alone," he said. He left his princess and cousins standing on the bridge, and he disappeared into the thickness of the pink sakura trees.

Yaten and Taiki inclined their heads toward the redhead in a delayed greeting. "It is getting late, Kakyuu-hime, do you reason we should find shelter for the night? There is a hotel two blocks east wherein Yaten reserved a room."

"Hai."

"What about Seiya?"

Kakyuu stared in the direction that her Starlight fled, her cherry-coloured eyes glistening. She clasped her hands in front of her and turned toward the direction of the hotel. "We should let him have the time he requested," she said softly, her eyebrows creased with concern.

**/end hachi**

in the next instalment:  
_ku: wherein ami dreams_


	9. ku: wherein ami dreams

**Writer's Notes: **Thank you and hugs to all those who have read, reviewed, added this story to their favourites and/or alerts or C2s. You guys just make my day, -hugs- and -cookies-

I really thought that this segment was longer . . . hmmm . . . hopefully what it lacks in length, it makes up for in plot. I hope everyone remembers the brief flashback of Princess Mercury from _shi: wherein the sailor starlights remember_, this is the aftermath from the conflict therein - evil grin-

**ku: wherein ami dreams**

A silver speck of light drifted through the streets, darkness enveloping its journey. Dense clouds crept through the skies and blocked out the shimmering glow from the stars and the moon. The light wavered, street lamps flickered and died, as it became surrounded by high-rise apartment buildings. It floated toward up toward the clouds, resembling a shooting star caught in reverse time.

It shimmered brightly and stalled before each window, examining the auras within. When it arrived at a meticulously clean windowpane, it flashed and shone with a cerulean colour, which was more brilliant than the silvery light, and it passed through the glass. The soft light cast Mizuno Ami's room into the distant past.

. : .

_The continual beeping of the medical machine cut through the woman's exhaustion like a mocking melody that sought to remind her of tearful goodbyes. The newly-crowned Queen of Mercury-sei supported her tired body in a plastic chair, surrounded by white-washed walls that were too bright to be cheerful, too dull to be sympathetic. Mercury's paled hand reached out and touched the railing of the hospital bed, the cold metal numbing her entire body, shocking her from collapse. _

"_Oh Starmaker," she murmured. She stared down at her high honour general and took the woman's hand within hers, pressing her chapped lips to cold skin. The transparent sleeves of Mercury's sky-blue blouse trailed across the sickly-green blanket that covered Starmaker's battle-devastated body. Her cerulean eyes were bloodshot from long nights of insomnia as she remained faithfully by her servant and lover's bedside since she had first rescued her from her dead planet. _

"_I was foolish to request your services in this time of war," she spoke, her body threatening to choke on her own tears. "I only wished for the woman that I love dearly to be by my side; I never considered you had never seen battle." Blue-tinged tears flowed freely from the queen's eyes and dropped onto the bed sheets and Starmaker's pale arm. The senshi from Kinmuko-sei stirred, her face twisting with pain, but she did not awaken. _

_Mercury's heart ached and felt hollow inside like some Death-god had gutted her as well as Starmaker. She pressed her lips together, her eyes watering and her hand firming its grip on the brunette's arm. A moment later, Mercury's fingers pained and she pulled them to reveal faint white marks on Starmaker's arm, fading away to a weak purple colour that she once thought was beautiful _

"_I am going to rescind my late father's request to Kakyuu-sama for your protection and order your return to her side. Our solar system is not your concern, and I will ensure that it never will be. I would not wish our conflicts upon anyone, especially you, my love." In the centre of Mercury's stomach, a black abyss formed, sucking her spirit in, and she thought that she would die from the pressure. _

"_What I am about to speak now hurts me so, but I believe deep inside that it is what is best between us. I am going to marry King Lucius from the Draco system. We are senshi, you know as well as I do that our lives are not our own. It was my duty to protect Serenity-hime, but my father has passed into the next life and his crown is now mine. I am senshi, but I am now also queen. I must provide a heir, a new senshi of Mercury-sei, and I am not strong enough to form a child from our energies, my love, as the princesses of Neptune and Uranus have._

"_Gomen, my love. Please forgive me." _

_---_

_The senshi from Kinmuko-sei never awoke. _

_Three days later, after she forced herself from a hollow of tears and sorrow, Queen Mercury buried her lover in the black lily-covered fields of the Moon Kingdom. Over the grave, a pure white rose blossomed and remained, even in the aftermaths of war. _

: . :

Ami slowly awoke from her dream with the intense feeling that she lost something she never quite had. For the first night since her father left, she cried herself to sleep, over the loss of her lost love.

**/end ku**

in the next instalment:  
_juu: wherein minako dreams_


	10. juu: wherein minako dreams

**Writer's Notes: **Thank you and hugs to all those who have read, reviewed, added this story to their favourites and/or alerts or C2s. You guys just make my day, -hugs- and -cookies- There's some geology and astronomy in this chapter that, while loosely based on fact, also has magical elements and is purely fictional.

**juu: wherein minako dreams**

A silver speck of light travelled high into the sky and passed through a dirty windowpane of Aino Minako's bedroom. It faltered and then shone with a brilliant, golden flare that cast the manga-cluttered room into the distant past.

. : .

_Princess Venus relaxed in a vivid sapphire meadow of her home planet, extending her arm to entwine her fingers between those of her lover, feeling his warmth pulsing in her hands. Her hair fell around her slender body, like a golden cloak that sparkled with pinpoints of silver in the dazzling sunlight that was slowly wafting through the clouds. _

_Faint water droplets began to fall slowly from the emerald-tinted skies, as though they were unsure of the proper path toward the terrain, and soaked into her topaz gown. Her crimson lips parted, her brows drew together, and the glowing clouds suddenly erupted. The planet was blanketed with showers and Venus lifted her other hand toward the skies to capture the lucent water within her palm. It overflowed and trickled down her arm, pooling around her body, and the princess saw ruby lightning flashes reflect on the waters. _

"_Yaten, do they have lightning on your planet?" the princess asked as she tilted her head toward the silver-haired alien, staring at him with confusion clouding her eyes._

_Yaten's emerald eyes met the bright blue ones of Venus. "Hai." He smiled._

_She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came to mind, and she pressed her lips together after several silent moments. The skies began to blacken with heavy smoke and quick beams of coloured lightning, which brought Venus's gaze back toward the skies, her eyebrows furrowing together. _

"_This is the only lightning storm I have seen on my planet, Yaten," Venus began, her honeyed voice tainted with apprehension. "Earth-sei's weather is turbulent because of the energy emitted from the sun, it has given them seasons of warmth, rain and snow. But the sun-energy doesn't effect our planet because of the differing compositions of our liquid cores, and our retrograde rotation. Without the exo-forces from the sun, the weather on Venus-sei has always been benevolent, cycle-less."_

_Yaten entwined his fingers between Venus's and tightened his grip over her hand, his thumb caressing the smooth skin of her palm. The two lovers closed their eyes against the rain pelting from the darkened clouds and they laid peacefully still for several moments before a thunderous explosion cracked through the skies, echoing above them. _

_The princess yelped, turning into Yaten's arms, as her heart jolted, missed a series of beats, and became lodged inside her throat. Yaten's arm snaked around her shoulders, pulling her close against his body and pressing his lips against her clammy forehead._

"_Mina-Kou," Yaten gently spoke the title he gave her when he was struck wordless by her mere presence. It meant "Love-Light" in the Kinmoku-sei language, and was the name of their planetary Immortal of lust and beauty. "I think we should return to--!" A deafening crack drowned Yaten's words, and for a moment, he froze and thought that the planet was dying around them, imploding on itself. _

_He frantically searched the meadows, his mouth dry and breathing shallow. Within mere seconds, he was standing with the shaking princess in his arms, staring at the chasm that had begun to crack open at his feet. His emerald eyes widened with shock, and Venus screamed in agony as she experienced the dying pain of her planet. She curled into a ball in Yaten's arms, the pain in her solar plexus almost too much for her to bear. _

_Deep inside Venus-sei, the liquid iron core stopped revolving and began to slowly from the deepest part toward the edges, like a spider-web fracture on stained glass. Volcanoes that had been dormant for millions of years simultaneously erupted with magma, drowning the beautiful blue and golden planet with dark death. In the skies, jagged rocks passed through the atmosphere and accosted the planet with deep craters that quickly filled with burning lava. _

_Yaten stared, awe-struck at the death of a brilliant star, before he transformed into Sailor Starhealer and teleported back to the castle with the unconscious princess in her arms._

_---_

"_Your highness, Cytherea-sama!" The cool castle walls spun around Starhealer as she laid the princess onto a golden-ivory chaise lounge. She collapsed to her knees, her head falling into her lap and sweat beading across her hairline. Nausea overtook Starhealer as Queen Cytherea of Venus-sei rushed forward._

_The queen pressed two pallid fingers to the cool skin of Venus's neck. When she felt her daughter's heartbeat, weak but faintly pulsating, she exhaled, a graveness escaping her body like a ghost taking flight. Cytherae covered the seventeen-year-old with an antique quilt and urgently ushered Starhealer away, into the connecting chamber._

"_What is happening?" Starhealer cried, her heart caroming against her ribcage._

_Cytherae's eyes glossed over with tearful panic, but she buried the emotion deep within her soul. Within seconds, she was composed once more on the outside. "The planet's magickal core has began to solidify and stop rotating," she began, forcing her voice into monotone calmness. "It was what supported life on Venus-sei. Without it, the planet is dying!" _

: . :

Minako awoke in the twentieth century with her body drenched in sweat and tears glistening down her cheeks. "Momma, Yaten-kun?" she whispered as Artemis stirred beside her.

**/end juu**

in the next instalment:  
_juu-ichi : wherein seiya's screams are unheard_


	11. juuichi: wherein there are three titles

**Writer's Notes:** Thank you and hugs to all those who have read, reviewed, added this story to their favourites and/or alerts or C2s. You guys just make my day, -hugs- and -cookies- This next chapter is longer than the previous chapters I have posted, on the request of my lovely reviewers desiring longer chapters. Please let me know what you think if you have been lurking, I would really appreciate it -hugs-

**juu-ichi: **

**wherein seiya's screams are unheard; **

**the river of time stops flowing; **

**the guardian senshi realise queen serenity's sorrowful remorse**

Intense energies crackled through Sailor Pluto's dark-green hair and thrashed against the silver gateway through time. Her white knuckles tightened around the cool metal of her staff as the wind howled through the inter-dimensional chamber, as lightning flashes continued to brighten the blackened skies, scorching the ground. Her crimson eyes flickered apprehensively from the skies toward the gateway as she worried on her lower lip.

An explosion echoed through the air, piercing Pluto's ears and deafening her with the soft humming of wind chimes. The entryway behind the senshi of time blazed and flashed with white light as a woman with an odango-hairstyle stepped through. Pluto prepared to bow before the Moon Queen, but a trembling hand stopped her.

"Your regards for my position are negligible, Pluto-san."

Pluto could barely hear the queen speak through the diffused ringing in her ears. She stared at Serenity, astonishment sweeping across her face. Serenity's slate-blue eyes were dulled and no longer shone with the universal vibrancy that Sailor Pluto remembered from long ago. The queen's skin, normally blushed with natural radiance, was ashen, and her lips were curved into a frown.

A large crack broke through the chamber as sapphire lightning erupted overhead, striking the silver time gates and sending sparks into the air around them. Sailor Pluto shielded the queen's spiritual body with her own, her staff warding off the shower of flames.

Then, only silence rang around them. The winds abruptly died and the black skies no longer held erratic energies. The inter-dimensional chamber was deathly still.

The river of time stopped flowing.

"Queen Serenity-sama?" Pluto questioned as she offered an hand to Serenity while she firmly grasped her garnet rod with the other. The white-haired woman refused her servant's hand and instead pulled herself to her feet, her eyes gazing through the stillness surrounding them.

"Pluto-san, I unbound their memories and released them through the dark voids of space. The Kinmuko-sei senshi remembered their past, but dark energies stole the silver flecks of memory I cast drifting over Tokyo toward the Earth senshi. Some passed through the cracks, but that stone is insignificant in flowing waters. Our peaceful world will crumble to dust and ash unless those memories are returned the minds of the senshi.

"Oh Pluto-san, I should have never done this devastation to my daughter!" Queen Serenity's voice resounded through the chamber and reflected off the motionless waters of time.

_---_

The woman with hair the colour of fertile soil and eyes the colour of vibrant moss stood inside a dimensionless chamber that was decorated with all the colours in existence, and yet none. She cupped her hands around an ebony ball with a shining centre, moulding the tiny crystals around the silver flecks of memory that Queen Serenity had intended for her beloved daughter and her guardians. A malevolent smirk transfixed on her otherwise beautiful face as studied the sphere, satisfied with the imprisoned power of the Moon Queen Serenity.

She lightly pressed her lips to the cool, black crystals before she raised her hands upward and released the sphere. It hovered still for a moment, then flew through the chamber and hit the translucent wall, passing through. It soared toward the Earth like a shooting star.

_---_

On Earth-sei, Kaioh Michiru and Tenoh Haruka relaxed in the back seat of Haruka's red sports car, staring up at the starry, night skies. Michiru sighed contently and laid her head against the hollow where Haruka's shoulder met her chest, and Haruka wrapped her arm around Michiru, pulling her close against her. The brown leather was cool against their skin, a blessing during this humid summer night, and a calm wind gently passed over them, singing in their ears.

Michiru pointed to a linear cluster of blue-tinged stars. "Those are the five home stars of the ancient gods of old-Earth," she began, her voice a soft melody that mingled with the winds. "They existed when space was nothing but a cauldron of fire, before our solar system formed from the implosion of a great star. When the new gods came to our Solar System, when the Goddess of the Moon gave birth to our protectress, they disappeared into the elements of earth, air, fire, water and spirit. They are the gods of a time before time was--"

A shooting star suddenly flashed through the dark sky. As it passed the other celestial bodies, they flickered and their lights were extinguished momentarily. The star disappeared behind the horizon, and the night sky wavered as though the heavens were burning.

Haruka and Michiru stared at each other with widened eyes.

---

Seiya stood by the small stream running under the wooden bridge and gazed toward the grove of blossoming trees. He rested his elbows against the railing, a deep sigh escaping his lips as his eyes stared unfocusedly into the waters. His heart felt as though some cruel gods had bindbound his claws around it, shredded and ripped it from his chest. And when Seiya sought death, the god cursed him with life.

The weather was unnaturally calm this evening, no winds blew through the sakura or the wind socks, and no small animals hunted for their evening's meal. The stars shone and flickered as though they could not decide whether they should exist or not, and a vibrant shooting star streaked across the sky, falling toward the Earth.

The black and silver sphere, released earlier this night by the beautiful, scornful woman, landed gently in the park, among the fading sakura trees. Seiya's eyes widened and he turned, his hand poised ready over his Sailor Star Change, and watched as the sphere glowed with a black light and slowly floated toward him. He involuntarily stepped backward, bumping into the railing, and raised his Star Change into the air.

But in less than a blink of an eye, the sphere rushed forward, smacking Seiya in the chest and sending him flying into a tree. His screams were ear-piercing, echoing high into the skies, but heard by no one except the distant gods who no longer cared.

The sphere slowly melded with his body and disappeared.

Seiya fell into unconsciousness.

-

The woman with hair the colour of fertile soil and eyes the colour of vibrant moss smirked as the sphere disappeared inside the body of Seiya. "That moon wench is not going to win!"

_---_

"Minna!" Minako bolted up the stairs of the Hikawa Shrine, Artemis dangling from her arm by his neck and two front paws. Her golden-blonde hair waved around her as she sprinted toward the group of girls, her chest heaving as she fought to catch her breath and not faint from lack of oxygen. She rested against the wall of the shrine, her head hanging low as she panted, and Artemis continued to choke.

"Minna . . ." she breathed. "Momma . . . Venus-sei . . . Yat--" Minako fell down.

Artemis squeezed out from beneath Minako (and complained that she was gaining weight, to which Minako found the energy to thump him on the head). The senshi of lust and beauty laid there for several moments, her face plastered against the cement and absorbing the coldness against her flushed face.

The other senshi stared at her, blinking, and Makoto finally rushed forward and assisted Minako to her feet, leading her inside with the others following.

Rei entered the small meditation room with a tray of green tea and sugar candies, placing it carefully on the table while Usagi's ringed hand grabbed a handful of sweets. Minako slumped against the wall and slid onto the floor between Ami and Makoto. The princess and guardian senshi sat in silence for a few moments before Minako related the horrors of her dream. Ami's skin paled as she listened to Minako's account, and she then related the events of her dream.

The senshi looked to Rei for an answer, but before the senshi of the flame could admit that she was blind, the senshi of time entered the Shinto shrine.

"Setsuna-san!"

The green-haired woman elegantly seated herself next to the princess she is sworn to protect. She clasped her hands together and placed then upon the table, and watched as the intrigued eyes of the five young women burrowed into her, and waited.

"The river of time has stopped flowing," Setsuna spoke evenly, as though it was a common occurrence. "The water stone and golden stone were cast into the rushing waters last night, and seven ripples died against the pure white shores before the ebb of the river stopped. Sheer crystals covered the waters and froze time between two dimensions of the past."

"Does this involve the dreams of Minako and Ami?" Rei asked as she poured Luna and Artemis a saucer of cream. The moon cats jumped onto the table, their tails entwining together into a heart-shape as Luna attempted to comfort Artemis's bruised ego.

Setsuna's dark crimson eyes held sorrow. "Those were not dreams, they were memories that Queen Serenity-sama kept hidden from the senshi through the magic of the silver crystal. A night ago, when the aliens of Kinmuko-sei returned, Queen Serenity emitted her aura over Tokyo and released the forgotten memories of the senshi of the solar system and her daughter. However, a dark energy blanketed the city and collected the memories; only a few fragments passed through, and those found their rightful owners last night through the guise of slumber.

"The powers of the moon crystal are innumerable and immense. A thousand years ago, Queen Serenity encased the souls of the senshi of this solar system and the universe and thrust them through the waters of time into another age. However, she also used the power to imprison selective memories of her senshi and those of other galaxies. The past you remember never happened as you remember it. It was Queen Serenity's wish that those memories be returned, and time flow as it was meant to. She removed a decision from her daughter's hands a thousand years ago, and now she wishes to rectify it."

The senshi stared at Setsuna as though she had grown a second head.

"Eeto . . . what do we do now?" Minako asked, searching for guidance.

Setsuna's hand dragged across Luna's soft fur, and the moon cat purred loudly. The green-haired woman cast her eyes toward the table and took a sip of the green tea that Rei had placed in front of her. "The memories must be restored, for without them, two pasts exist, superimposed upon each other, yet not fully existing. Crystal Tokyo has already fallen to ruins. Ami-chan, do you think you can locate the dark energy that has horded your memories?"

Ami's face hardened with resolve. "Hai." She removed her light blue computer with the golden Mercury-sei symbol and started pressing away at the keys, oblivious to that around her as she sank further and further into her element.

Minako furrowed her thin eyebrows and removed Artemis's nose from her cup of tea. "Setsuna-san, my planet really did perish as I saw, didn't it? And Taiki-kun passed away protecting Ami-chan?"

"I'm afraid so." Setsuna nodded slowly, solemnly.

The setting sun shone through the windows and the doorway and warmed the senshi from their cold thoughts. Only Usagi shivered beneath the warm rays, but her mind was a thousand years away to a time that she could not remember. "Why would mother do this?" Usagi asked herself as she absently played with her engagement ring, watching the diamond face sparkling beneath the soft sunlight.

The room suddenly fell into darkness as three shadows appeared in the doorway. "Queen Serenity-sama loved you, Usagi-chan," Princess Kakyuu answered as she stepped further into the small room, her two guardians flanking either side of her. "Her actions, no matter now ignoble they are on retrospection, were only taken because she wanted her daughter's future, and that of the people she loved, to be peaceful."

"Taiki-kun!" Ami gently placed her computer onto the table and jumped to her feet, wrapping the brown-haired eighteen-year-old in a tight embrace. She deeply inhaled his scent, and remembered a time a thousand years ago when she held Sailor Starmaker as close.

Minako barrelled Yaten down and boldly pressed her lips to his. "Yaten-kun!"

Rei invited the aliens to be seated and poured them a cup of cold green tea. The nine young senshi crammed around the table (Taiki next to Ami and Yaten next to Minako), and Luna draped herself across Yaten's shoulders (much to Artemis's ire). Ami continued her research on her computer, and Taiki assisted her.

"Kakyuu-san, where is Seiya-kun?" Usagi asked quietly.

A thin frown tugged on Kakyuu's crimson lips. "He had business to attend to," she lied, politely sipped on the green tea, cringing against the abhorrent, bitter taste as it went down her throat.

"Contact the other senshi," Ami started abruptly, eager in her voice, "I found an inter-dimensional disturbance in the centre of Ueno park. The area keeps flickering in and out of existence, I think whatever energies have prevented Queen Serenity-sama from restoring our memories can be found there."

---

Seiya Kou awoke with a piercing pain in his heart, and then he remembered the exquisite diamond ring on _his_ odango-hime's finger. The black-haired, forgotten idol strained to sit up, his palms scrapping against the rough underbrush as he marvelled at the way that emotional agony can manifest itself into something physical. It was only then that he remembered the black sphere with the silver core.

**/end juu-ichi**

in the next instalment:  
_juu-ni: wherein there is a laughing owl_


	12. juuni: wherein there is a laughing owl

**Writer's Notes: **Thank you and hugs to all those who have read, reviewed, added this story to their favourites and/or alerts or C2s. You guys just make my day, -hugs- and -cookies-

**juu-ni: wherein there is a laughing owl**

The pale sun was setting below the horizon when the Sailor Senshi, Tuxedo Kamen and Princess Kakyuu arrived, standing in a circle among the sakura trees of Ueno park. A tree sparrow pecked at the dirt and rooted among the small seeds and insects until she found a nibble to her tastes. With the seed between her dark grey beak, she fluttered her copper-coloured wings and flew off into the dusk.

The wine-coloured eyes of Sailor Saturn followed the bird as she disappeared, flickered from existence as though she was never meant to be. The fourteen-year-old girl cast Sailor Pluto a look of deep concern.

A common mouse ventured from her burrow, her whiskers and nose twitching with the plentiful smells. Her grey ears jerked as loud shrieks slashed through the silent evening, and she scurried off into the safety of her hovel. The shrieks send vibrations down the spines of the senshi. They felt a cold energy flow through the park, crackling against all that lived.

A medium-sized owl spread her wings and landed among the trees, the branch bending beneath her weight. Her glossy black eyes were set deep around small ivory feathers and reflected the silhouettes of the senshi as she remembered them a thousand years ago. The feathers of her thick plumage were chestnut and ivory, and her yellow claws dug into the soft bark of the tree.

The Laughing Owl, a species native to New Zealand and extinct for nearly a hundred years, repeated her awful night-song and rummaged her tail feathers. The senshi stared at her and saw their refection in her vivacious eyes. The guardian senshi of this solar system saw themselves in the soft colours of the extravagant gowns they had worn when their mothers and fathers had ruled over the planets. Tuxedo Kamen and Eternal Sailor Moon stood hand in hand as Prince Endymion of the Earth and Princess Serenity of the Moon. Only the Kinmoku-sei senshi appeared as they actually were in the eyes of the owl.

The prey-bird agitated her wings and flew toward the ground, landing atop the mouse's burrow. Her beak separated into what appeared to be a smirk, and she laughed again. The shrieks evolved from the warbling of the owl into the high-pitched laughter of a woman, and the owl transformed into the woman with hair the colour of fertile soil and eyes the colour of vibrant moss. Her curls framed a pale, beautiful face that softened when she saw Tuxedo Kamen.

She lifted her slender hand, raising the howling winds high into the trees, and brought it down toward the senshi. She blasted Tuxedo Kamen before the guardians could protect him, but the blast only forced his transformation into the Earth prince.

Prince Endymion stared at his mother, Queen Kalyke, and could not recognise her.

The senshi of time stepped forward, protecting the prince and Sailor Moon.

"King Thanatos's only daughter forgets her place." Kalyke laughed, the sound mirroring that of the owl. "The dead death king bowed before me and not to the moon wench Serenity! Her weakness brought the lips of many sovereigns to my hand and they fell before me in worship as the high Queen of the Orion Arm. The mind of the deathless time guardian is able to distinguish the past that Queen Serenity fabricated from that which truly occurred. The moon wench promised me her kingdom when she gave her only daughter's hand in marriage to my son! It is a queen's responsibility to sacrifice for her kingdom, the union of Endymion and Serenity would bring peace between the Earth and Moon and their alliances.

"Oh," Kalyke pouted, her voice childishly taunting, as she noticed the stunned expressions of the solar system senshi. "But you don't remember do you?"

Sailor Mercury's fingers typed away on her hand-held computer and her translucent-blue visor covered her eyes. "The disturbance is not coming from her," she said, regarding Kalyke curiously. "Pluto-san, who is she?"

Queen Kalyke's burnt orange dress fluttered around her slim figure in the absence of wind and she sniffed haughtily at the senshi. "That moon wench erased me from history!" she fumed as her mouth contorted grotesquely and her eyes blazed with murder. In one motion, she thrust her arm into the air, gathered a dark ball of crackling energy, and released it at Eternal Sailor Moon.

"World Shaking!"

"Deep Submerge!"

"Dead Scream."

The three spheres of energy with planetary rings collided with Kalyke's power, and disintegrated as the black sphere absorbed them, intensifying in size as it neared the senshi. Venus and Mars knocked Sailor Moon to the ground, protecting her as the energy exploded around them, sending their sailor fuku quivering in the violent winds. Sailor Mercury continued to type away at her computer.

The blast died down, and miniscule specks of dirt remained suspended in the air around them. Their hair floated up into the air, due to the pressures of the energy, and the atmosphere around them sparked with electricity.

"Why are you doing this?" Prince Endymion asked as he assisted the fallen senshi.

Kalyke's expression softened and the memory of a soul appeared behind her eyes. "For you," she whispered. "Every action I took as Earth Queen was for you, my beloved son. But I cannot expect you to ever remember. You were never meant to remember what happened in the bloody days before the fall of the Silver Millennium, but that moon wench felt remorse after all these years! The Moon and Earth kingdoms of the Orion Arm were meant to be merged under one sovereignty beneath my rule. You were meant to inherit all, my darling Endymion. Queen Serenity bowed to my demands and prepared to sacrifice her daughter's happiness. Even in death, she bowed to me, for the memories you possess of your past lives are not as they occurred!"

Endymion took an involuntary step backward, blinking with astonishment. He protectively held Sailor Moon against his chest, running his hand along her arm in an unconscious, loving motion. His face hardened toward the mother he could not remember, and he never noticed as his other hand fell instinctively to the hilt of his sword.

"But then, the moon wench Serenity felt guilty and wanted to correct everything! She wanted to take away my son's bride and his kingdom! My kingdom! She returned her daughter's memories during the Earth's icy sleep! She gave back the memories of the Kinmoku-sei aliens! She destroyed her daughter's future kingdom and she disturbed the rivers of time!"

Kalyke's lips pursed with fury and her fists convulsed with an electrical black energy. "I tried to prevent her destructiveness!" Kalyke screamed, her voice coming painfully from her throat. She dug her sharp fingernails into her palms as she gathered increasing amounts of energy. Then, in an instant, the energy died, disappeared from existence, and Kalyke appeared calmer, her eyes shining with satisfaction.

"I stopped her," she giggled, her cheeks flushing. "I gathered the silvery memories within my aura; they are lost to you now. The moon wench's dreams will never come to pass. However," she sneered as her eyes narrowed on Starhealer, Starmaker and Kakyuu, "there is still the predicament of your existence. The rivers of time flow as intended through your minds, your lives are an insult!"

Queen Kalyke raised her hands into the air and gathered crackling energy that absorbed all the light around her. The dying sakura withered away as their life force was perverted and collected into Kalyke's hand, and the bright moonlight flickered away. A high-pitched shriek escaped her lips as she brought her arms down, releasing the dark blast toward the Sailor Starlights and their princess.

Eternal Sailor Moon propelled herself from Endymion's arms and dove at the Starlights, taking the blast against her chest. At once, the cries of the senshi and Kalyke filled the charged air, and Sailor Moon collapsed at Starhealer's feet.

"No!!"

"Baka, Usagi!" Starhealer cried as she cradled the fallen blonde, her tears flowing like a stream from her emerald eyes. "Seiya would never forgive us if you sacrificed yourself for us!"

Kalyke's eyes took on a haunted look and she emotionally and spiritually willed Sailor Moon to open her eyes, but the eighteen-year-old remained motionless. "Foolish child!" she screamed, her voice piercing with panic. The cold fist of some forgotten god closed over her heart as she watched her only son dash to Sailor Moon's side.

The look Endymion gave his mother would have killed any normal mortal.

"Endymion, I would never intentionally hurt the one you love!" Kalyke cried as her voice became higher and more hysterical. She hastily attempted to gather another sphere of energy, but it cracked and sparkled in her hands, dying before it became substantial.

Endymion checked Sailor Moon's vitals. He released breath he had not realised he was holding when he felt her steady heartbeat. "You do this for me?" he asked with a monotone voice. "I don't know what truly occurred in the last days of my last reincarnation, but you forced Serenity-sama to ingrain false memories into our minds so that I may have my kingdom? You took the choice away from the princess and myself?"

Kalyke nodded, her knees quaking and heart pounding in her throat.

"Then give us that choice back." Prince Endymion picked up the unconscious body of Sailor Moon and pressed his lips to the crescent moon her forehead.

A wave of remorse and terror washed over Kalyke. "I . . . I can't. . . . Gomen nasai, my beloved son. Please remember, I do this for you." And where the queen once stood, the Laughing Owl was now perched. She flew off into the night, her tears staining the earth.

"Eeto . . . what do we do now?"

Sailor Mercury continued to type on her computer and scrutinized their surroundings through her blue visor. Her cerulean eyes narrowed in concentration as she furiously typed on the keyboard, small beads of sweat forming along her hairline.

"According to my calculations, the disturbance is to the north." She stepped onto the path and, with her fingers typing and eyes studying the area through her visor, walked toward the northern side of the park.

The other senshi followed her, through the fading sakura and silent windsocks, over the wooden bridges that spanned creeks (hoping to evolve, one day, into streams), and into a small niche carved out in sedimentary rock. Silver water trickled over the rough stone, pooling around the thin stems of flowers, and white moss grew close to the ground, facing the northern direction. Six elaborate benches, carved from the same rock as the fountain encircling the niche, were placed around an ancient ginkgo tree, its leaves a vibrant green. Somewhere in the distance, copper bells chimed.

A young, black-haired man slept on one of the benches, his legs dangling over the edge. His chest rose and fell with a steady rhythm, one of his hands rested comfortably across his stomach while the other hung over, knuckles scrapping against the brushwood. Azure eyes suddenly opened as he sensed the presence of the senshi, and he slowly sat up, blinking and wiping the sleep from his eyes.

"Minna-san, the disturbance is coming from Seiya-kun." Sailor Mercury's voice was flat.

Sailor Starhealer laughed, but only because her heart was breaking. "I always said you were a disturbance, Seiya." And in the silent night, the senshi heard the mocking laugh of the shape-shifted Queen of Earth.

---

The Fruits Parlour Crown was immaculately, sparkling clean after Furuhata Unazuki's shift last night. The afternoon sunlight wafted through the spotless windowpanes and settled on the ivory-grey tables and orange seats. Small, dark green ferns planted in rectangular pots around the room and grew toward the direction of the sunlight. The café was almost empty at three o'clock this afternoon; two young men and a red-haired woman sat alone at a table meant to hold thrice the customers.

Taiki Kou sipped on a cold cup of jasmine tea after pouring plenty of sugar into it. "Ami-chan and Artemis have spent their nights researching Kalyke, but they have only come to devastating conclusions. The pieces of memory are entwined within Seiya's spirit and nothing they have found dictates how to release them. Ami-chan is trying to reconfigure her hand-held to locate Kalyke, but she does not know if the Earth Queen would be able to release the memories from Seiya even if she so desired. She did appear adequately remorseful to Chiba-san that it was beyond her powers."

The silver-haired senshi beside Taiki snorted. "What if they never remember, Kakyuu-hime?"

Princess Kakyuu emptied a pouch of dried herbs and flowers into a cup of hot water, stirring in a teaspoon of natural honey. "Then it is simple, my beloved," she started, taking a sip of the herbal tea, "Kalyke already gave us the answer."

Taiki shook his head, determination etched across his face and in his violet eyes. The air around the aliens crackled with energy. "No, it cannot come to that. Ami will find a way! I know she will."

Yaten pushed his half-eaten cherry cheesecake toward the edge of the table as the waitress passed, and she removed it after asking Yaten if it was not to his liking. The three sat in silence, not wanting to consider the magnetism of Kakyuu's words and the sacrifice the outer planetary senshi already expected them to make.

"How was your date with Ami-chan?" Yaten changed the subject.

Taiki shrugged his shoulders, running his fingers along the handle of the white teacup. "Strange and wonderful all at the same time. I took her to that foreign art film at the Juuban Theatre and then to the Venetian exhibit at the gallery. Afterward, we went for tea and she asked questions about our lives from the Silver Millennium. I told her everything, hoping that she would remember something else, but she didn't. It is difficult loving someone who doesn't remember that they used to love you too, whose only memory is of your sacrifice for her. I know she only agreed to the date because Minako-chan persuaded her."

Yaten squeezed Taiki's hand. "Gomen, Taiki. I'm sure she and Artemis will find something to help them remember; Sailor Pluto has confidence that the river of time will flow again. Minako-chan has been researching the liquid core of Earth and trying to figure out why Venus-sei's core solidified. She doesn't understand geology though, so Chiba-san has been assisting her. I took her to Kusaka Hina's performance at the concert hall and, afterward, introduced them. Minako-chan is less reserved than Ami-chan, she allowed me to escort her to Restaurant Rokuten last night where I told her everything of our love in the Silver Millennium. She asked about Usagi-chan and Seiya, but I couldn't tell her anything. It's not my place."

"Seiya has been avoided by Usagi-chan," Kakyuu spoke quietly, lifting her teacup to her lips with both hands. "The poor girl is confused, hurt that her mother, Queen Serenity-sama, would do something like this. She doesn't want to hear that the past she remembers is not her past." She sipped her tea, and whispered into the hot water, "She went browsing for her wedding gown earlier this week."

The silver bell above the door chimed as three young women and a young man entered the Fruits Parlour Crown. Aino Minako, Mizuno Ami, Hino Rei and Chiba Mamoru waved at the Kinmoku-sei senshi and joined them in the booth as the waitress brought over four menus. Taiki gave his seat to Minako and he sat next to Ami instead; Rei and Mamoru sat on the other side, next to Kakyuu.

"I have not been able to locate Kalyke," Ami informed them miserably.

Taiki placed his hand over hers, running his fingers along her smooth skin.

The senshi talked among themselves until the waitress returned several minutes later and took their drink order (milkshakes, except for the green tea for Mamoru). When the guardian senshi emptied their strawberry milkshakes, the bell above the door chimed again and Tsukino Usagi and Kino Makoto entered; Usagi was carrying small bag marked "Orchid Weddings".

Mamoru stood, offered his seat to his fiancée and took another beside her, while Makoto sat next to Ami and Taiki.

"What's in the bag, Usagi-chan?" Minako asked, her eyes curiously staring at the silver bag with the blue orchid as though she could see through it to what laid inside.

Usagi removed a small velvet box from the bag and opened it, staring lovingly at what rested snugly inside -- a pair of sun-cut light azore blue diamond earrings in the shape of crescent moons that shone with an aurora borealis effect when the light reflected on them.

"Those are beautiful, Usagi-chan!"

"How much did they cost?"

"They pale in comparison to your beauty, Usako." Mamoru pressed his lips to Usagi's cheek.

Usagi secured them back inside the bag and placed it onto her lap. "They were a gift," she said. "I found it on the dining room table this morning. Momma said a gentleman dropped them off last night as an engagement gift."

Taiki and Yaten exchanged knowing glances. The senshi idly talked about their lives while they ordered hamburgers and fries, and another round of milkshakes for the guardian senshi. Kakyuu refilled her herbal concoction with hot water and offered some of the tea leaves to Rei, claiming they were calming and often used in shrines on her planet. In time, when the sun was beginning to set behind the tall buildings, the table was cleared and the customers scarce, talks turned to senshi business.

"Sailor Pluto informed us that, because of the time paradox involving the Kinmuko-sei senshi and the solar system senshi, the rivers of time have stopped flowing," Ami told everyone, although this was an old story to some. "There are two pasts in existence, and while this occurs, the future is in ruins. Artemis and I have thought that, if we could find Kalyke, she could restore the memories to us as Queen Serenity-sama intended, and therefore eliminate the false past and save the future. But her energy is difficult to locate. There is also the unspeakable option that Kalyke suggested; that would eliminate the true past and replace the false past. Time should then right itself."

"No! That can never be considered an option!" Usagi cried, tears in her eyes.

Ami's blue eyes softened. "Hai. Of course. Luna had one more suggestion for us -- we prevent this from ever happening, we prevent the Starlights from regaining their memories and prevent those same memories from awakening in Neo-Queen Serenity."

"How can we make such a sacrifice?" Yaten whispered, taking Minako's hand.

Taiki grimaced. "We won't really realise that we are making it, Yaten-kun."

**/end juu-ni**

in the next instalment:  
_juu-san: wherein seiya makes his sacrifice _


	13. juusan: wherein seiya makes sacrifice

**Writer's Notes:** Thank you and hugs to all those who have read, reviewed, added this story to their favourites and/or alerts or C2s. You guys just make my day, -hugs- and -cookies-

**juu-san: wherein seiya makes his sacrifice **

Queen Serenity remain motionless, surrounded by the ancient devastation of her Moon Kingdom, cupping the shining Moon Crystal between her palms. Her slate-blue eyes stared lovingly at the wispy strands of smoke that swirled and danced at the core of the crystal, changing from lacklustre grey to sparkling baby blue, before disappearing into white nothingness.

The silhouette of a long-haired young man, sitting alone in his hotel room, formed at the centre of Serenity's crystal. His pale lips wordlessly formed the lyrics to a forgotten love song as he plucked away on the strings of a borrowed guitar, the soft music floating against the edges of the precious stone.

Pure silver tears rimmed in the Moon Queen's eyes as the crystal slowly began to grow with countless, vivid colours, expanding past her arms and bathing her in faint warmth.

---

The downcast eyes of the forgotten idol glanced up as a brightness filled the living room. His long fingers froze over the guitar strings as the final words to the song were abandoned on faltering lips. The sparking light congregated in the centre, shedding warm, white rays across the luxurious hotel suite and the Starlight's paled face.

Seiya Kou cautiously placed the guitar against the ebony-satin sofa and dragged himself to his feet, his body heavy with exhaustion and sleepless nights of sorrow. He shielded his eyes, wet with indefinite tears of reverence, as he watched the pinpoints of light form a beautiful woman with a familiar odango-hairstyle.

"Greetings, Kou."

Queen Serenity's translucent wings fluttered and sent a light breeze through Seiya's black hair. As he unconsciously began to bend at the waist, overcome by respect for the dead Moon Queen and night's worth of insomnia, he felt a piercing coldness in his arm. Seiya brought his eyes upward and saw the ghostly hand of Serenity pass through his shoulder, stopping his movement.

"I do not deserve your respects. The grievance I did to you and my daughter was indeed my darkest hour as High Queen of the Orion Arm, and I cannot expect forgiveness. My actions may have came a thousand years too late, but I can find solace in the fact that they have come. I should have expected nothing less from Queen Kalyke; she still believes that Beryl did not seize her throne in those final, fateful days of flourishing kingdoms.

"I know what troubles your mind, Kou, and I know what you must do . . . "

-

"Why tell me rather than odango-hime?"

"Because my daughter will not make that sacrifice."

---

For several minutes, Seiya merely stared at the cell phone on the marble kitchen counter and inhaled deeply, his tense chest muscles compressing and relaxing with each shaking breathe. His trembling fingers, frozen from the words that Serenity spoke, reached out and gripped the small technological device, the carbon alloy feeling much too warm in his numbed hand. With his last internal argument on necessity rather than desire, he dialled the telephone number given to him many years ago, when he was still considered the alien invader from another planet.

"Moshi moshi?"

The one senshi Seiya believed that he would never have a civilised conversation with, much less ask for help, answered the phone on the fourth ring.

With a deep breath, Seiya braced himself. "Tenoh Haruka? This is Seiya Kou. I know what must be done, but I need your help; the guardian senshi and odango-hime can't know about this--they won't let us make that necessary sacrifice."

On the other end of the line, Haruka nodded resolutely. "Hai. I understand."

-

"I know where Kalyke is!" Seiya breathed when his comrades came home.

---

Ueno park was deathly still at three o'clock in the morning when the senshi of this solar systemand Kinmoku-sei gathered, connecting their hands firmly within one another's. Their planetary energy collected around them, licked up their legs and circled their waists.

In a blink of brilliant light, they were gone.

-

The dimensionless chamber was decorated with all the colours of existence, and yet none, when fourteen Sailor Senshi appeared suddenly. The air was warm and still around them as they unclasped their hands and glanced around, their eyes cautiously searching for the Earth Queen.

"My son!" Queen Kalyke whimpered, and she appeared behind a translucent wall that swirled with vanishing colours. She pressed her palms against the barrier, pushing her way through it to be standing in the same chamber as the senshi. Her moss-coloured eyes shimmered with silvery tears as she stepped forward to embrace Tuxedo Kamen, (ignoring how he stiffened beneath her touch). With her gentle touch, she forced his transformation into Prince Endymion.

She released her beloved son and stepped back, astonishment flickering across her face as she noticed the senshi standing around Endymion. She cast incensed eyes at them, but reserved a meticulously venomous stare for the Starlights and their princess.

"That moon wench brought you here!" she shrieked, black energy forming around her body and flickering across the room like the tongue of a serpent, thrashing against the senshi's boots. "How else could you have transported to this fracture in time?"

"Please, m-mother," Prince Endymion faltered at the word, "you don't need to do this!" He hastily motioned for the guardian senshi to form a protective circle around the Starlights and Kakyuu, the fear in his eyes dilating his ebony pupils.

"Oh, my beloved son! You know naught of what you speak."

Endymion embraced Eternal Sailor Moon close to his body, as the outer planetary senshi stepped forward to protect their prince and princess. The resolved faces of Sailor Neptune and Sailor Uranus hardened, remembering that this woman was the reason that the Starlights thought it right to return to their solar system and invade their lives once more.

"Queen Kalyke-sama," Sailor Pluto began to reason with the utmost respect, inclining her head into a slight bow. "The actions of Queen Serenity-sama were never against you."

Kalyke's face contracted with irritation. "Don't speak your lies at me, timeless daughter of Thanatos! That moon wench is attempting to negate on her promise to me!"

Eternal Sailor Moon pushed herself away from the protective custody of Prince Endymion and the outer senshi, and she stood in front of Queen Kalyke with a determined expression etched upon her beautiful face. The white feathers on her wings fluttered softly, although there was no breeze in the dimensionless chamber.

Kalyke pointed her slender fingers at Sailor Moon, a small ball of black energy gathering at her fingertips. "Consider your actions carefully, Princess Serenity," she threatened as the energy grew in size and engulfed her left hand. She kept it poised over Sailor Moon's heart, but she directed her attention and words to her son. "I cannot expect you to understand why I do this, Endymion. And I do not know what you expect of me now. I told you what must be done to restore a peaceful future, to restore any future. Unless you are looking for someone to make that sacrifice for you, I cannot help you anymore."

Tears spilt over Sailor Moon's eyes, running freely down her flushed cheeks. "No, I am not going to sacrifice anyone! There must be another way!"

Kalyke's moss-coloured eyes burned with flames and her beautiful face contorted with anger. "Don't you see, moon wench, that there is not! How naive are you to think that you don't have to share in heartache!" she shrieked, releasing the dark energy and blasting Sailor Moon in the chest.

With a sharp cry of astonishment, the blonde in the multi-coloured fuku was knocked to the icy, lucid ground of the antechamber. But the intense energy only forced her transformation into Princess Serenity in a breeze of silver feathers.

"You understood and were well acquainted with sorrow and sacrifice when your wench of a mother ruled the Orion Arm, Moon-hime. You willingly accepted the wedding with my son, and you pleaded forgiveness from your alien lover as you prepared to walk down the aisle in your mother's silver-ivory gown!"

The guardian senshi rushed to Serenity's side, and Sailor Mars helped the dazed princess to stand. Serenity staggered slightly against the raven-haired woman's shoulders, falling into her helping arms and bracing herself against the fire radiating from Mars's skin. The senshi of the flame glared daggers at Kalyke as she stepped forward and shielded Serenity's body with her own.

"Oh, don't look at me with such hatred, Daughter of Ares, Princess of Mars," Kalyke seethed, flickering her tongue like a serpent and eyes narrowing crimson. "If I desired your precious Moon Princess dead, she would be among the reapers of death and destruction. I did her no harm. She is only as I wanted her to be, as I remember her."

Prince Endymion's heart sank and he grabbed Serenity's arm, pulling her back into his protective arms. His dark eyes stared at the mother that he could not remember, and he could not understand how she harboured such loathing for the people he so dearly loved. He struggled to summon up a long forgotten memory of his childhood with her, joyful in the emerald meadows of his Earth Kingdom, but nothing floated up from the watery recesses of his mind.

The four guardian senshi flanked Prince Endymion and Princess Serenity, rather than returning to their stations to protect the Kinmoku-sei senshi. They faced Kalyke with determined grimaces etched upon their ashen faces.

"Mars . . . Flame Sniper!"

"Mercury . . . Aqua Rhapsody!"

"Venus . . . Love and Beauty Shock!"

"Jupiter . . . Oak Evolution!"

A fiery arrow, surrounded by silvery-blue streams of water, elliptical emerald leaves and a collage of golden hearts, drove toward Queen Kalyke's chest. The Earth Queen merely stood there, her garnet lips parted into a smirk as she noticed movement in her peripheral vision.

"Star Serious Laser!" Sailor Starfighter raised her Sailor Star Yell into the air, absorbing a five-pointed star of golden energy into each of the coloured jewels. She brought her arm down sharply and released the cerulean blast into the core of the attacks of the inner senshi, averting them away from Queen Kalyke.

"Starfighter, baka! Whose side are you on?"

Sailor Starfighter ignored the question and stepped forward to meet Queen Kalyke's haughty expression and shining aura. "You are right, Kalyke-sama," she started, her voice deceivingly steady, glancing back at the senshi with sadness in her cerulean eyes. "Odango-hime doesn't understand the sacrifices that must be made for the future; neither do my cousins, or the guardian senshi." She turned back to the queen with a soft sigh escaping her lips. "But I do. I understand."

A moment after Starfighter spoke these words, the outer planetary senshi stepped forward and created a barrier of sparkling colours--sea green chrysoprase, lilac chalcedony, ebony black spinel and cobalt iolite--between their comrades and Sailor Starfighter, prevented them from protecting the self-sacrificing senshi (or hurt him, as Starhealer sought to do). Their boots clicked sharply against the translucent floor in the one-dimensional chamber, slashing through the thick, silent tension.

Sailor Saturn crossed her glaive in front of her, gripping it with white-knuckled hands as her face hardened. Sailor Uranus took Neptune's hand tightly within hers, connecting their glistening eyes for a brief moment. Sailor Pluto appeared calm, with a small smile creeping inconspicuously across her timeless face.

"Starfighter, what are you doing?" Princess Serenity's voice cracked over cries of "No!"

The black-haired senshi exhaled despairingly, her body suddenly overwhelmed with pained exhaustion. "Gomen, odango-hime," she said as her eyes shut tightly against the tears spilling down her cheeks. She inclined her head to the side, and she heard Queen Serenity's ethereal voice echoing in her ear. . . .

"_The turbulent rivers of time are intricate and intertwined into designs that mere mortals cannot begin to appreciate, despite the countless lives they have lived. My beloved daughter and her guardians are sifting through the eroded grains of the shallow-water basin, but the sacrifice that they think must be performed will not cause the rivers of time to flood the basin once more. The memories have already been returned, they merely need to find their way home. They are entangled within your soul, your essence. _

"_Queen Kalyke's heart was twisted black by Beryl, it is her final revenge upon the Moon Matriarchy, upon me. Do not let your cousins and princess follow you into the realm of Hades. Yours is only death that is needed, Kou. My daughter loved you once, please let her remember the sacrifice you made for her all those centuries ago, and help her understand the sacrifice you now make for her."_

**/end juu-san**

in the next instalment:  
_juu-shi: wherein the memories are released _


	14. juushi: wherein memories are released

**Writer's Notes: **Thank you and hugs to all those who have read, reviewed, added this story to their favourites and/or alerts or C2s. You guys just make my day, -hugs- and -cookies-

**juu-shi: wherein the memories are released **

"This is your decision then, Sailor Starfigher?" Kalyke lips twisted into a malicious smirk. Her moss-coloured eyed flashed with haughtiness as she watched the outer senshi as they prevented the guardian senshi from rushing forward. (Sailors Uranus and Neptune charged their talismans with energy when Sailor Mars asked, "Why?" only to be answered with "You know why." and, "This is how we fight.")

Starfighter's features softened with resolve. She closed her eyes and exhaled deeply, slowly, a tranquillity filling her mind. "Hai," she whispered.

"Starfighter! What are you doing!"

"I swear to the gods, Seiya, if you die for us, I will kill you myself!"

"Please, Seiya, for me, don't do this!" Princess Serenity begged, her voice fracturing as tears erupted over the rims of her eyes, pouring down her face and falling to the floor. She propelled herself from Endymion's protective arms and rushed forward, her vision blurred through the waterfall of emotional devastation.

The green-haired senshi of the sea side-stepped from Uranus to embraced her princess tenderly. The blonde buried her face into Sailor Neptune's chest and sobbed, her whole body convulsing. Serenity's cries slowed as she weakly fought to escape Neptune's arms, her body suddenly defeated from exhaustion.

"You were always naïve, odango," Sailor Uranus said, lowering her sword. Her hardened expression melted away and she stared at Serenity with fondness. "Don't you see, it has to be this way."

Serenity vehemently shook her head, her blonde strands whipping against her wet face. "You're wrong! You have to be. Seiya, please don't do this!" The inner senshi and the Starlights echoed her pleas.

Kalyke thrust her arm into the air, fingers spread wide. Her hand glowed with a black, translucent energy as the stars shining thousands of light years from her were suddenly snuffed out of existence. Although there was no light shining in the dimensionless chamber, the energy gathering on Kalyke's hand seemed to steal light away from the walls, floor and ceiling. The alcove became as frozen as deathly artic ice and as shadowy as the dark void of the abyss. The senshi were cast in darkness, and the only light that fell upon their bodies was that energy held in Kalyke's hand.

The Earth Queen brought her arm down, the energy trailing behind and flickering like flames. She released the blast toward Sailor Starfighter, against the cries of Princess Serenity and her guardian senshi.

"Mars . . . Flame Sniper!"

"Mercury . . . Aqua Rhapsody!"

"Venus . . . Love and Beauty Shock!"

"Jupiter . . . Oak Evolution!"

The fiery arrow surrounded by silvery-blue streams of water, elliptical emerald leaves and a collage of golden hearts flew toward Kalyke, but Sailor Saturn protected the Earth Queen with her Silence Wall.

Sparkling blue energy gathered in the hands of Starmaker and Starhealer as they raised their Sailor Star Yells into the air, and cried through a veil blurred by tears.

"Star Sensitive Inferno!"

"Star Gentle Uterus!"

Sapphire spheres of energy, encircled with white lightning, rushed at Kalyke's black energy, and disappeared into it. The alien senshi began to rush forward to protect their suicidal comrade, but Kakyuu's voice stopped them.

"We cannot die Starfighter's death," Princess Kakyuu said with a dead voice. She felt the hearts of her Starlights miss a beat as their faces fell with pain at her orders. Starmaker and Starhealer, their fists balling together and nails digging into their palms, fought against themselves not to disobey their princess and save their black-haired cousin.

Queen Kalyke's laughter pierced through the inter-dimensional chamber.

The black energy collided with Starfighter's chest, propelling the Starlight backward. She smashed her head against the translucent wall, where hairline fractures began to form. Starfighter's transformation reversed in a shower of baby blue stars, and Seiya fell into unconsciousness as the wall behind him began to crumble.

A resonating _crack! _ricocheted through the chamber as two black-robed figures appeared, flanking the Earth Queen. As the inner senshi, Starlights and the Moon Princess ran to Seiya's fallen form, the robed figures grasped Kalyke by the shoulders with skeletal hands. The three disappeared with Kalyke's maniacal laughter echoing around them.

The inter-dimensional chamber flickered out of existence, and the planetary senshi were standing once more among the sakura in Ueno Park.

Serenity knelt in front of Seiya as he cracked his eyes open and moaned weakly.

The Moon Princess cupped her silver crystal in her hands as the power pulsed between her palms, causing her fingers and wrists to tingle with suppressed energy. Serenity held it close to her heart, closing her cerulean eyes against the brightness illuminating the otherwise dark night. The senshi of this solar system formed a protective circle around their princess and Seiya, with the apprehensive eyes of the outer planetary senshi vigilantly watching the Kinmoku-sei senshi as they approached. Sailor Starhealer clasped her hand within Sailor Venus's, and Starmaker's fingers lightly brushed against the back of Mercury's hand.

The dazzling energy from the silver crystal engulfed Princess Serenity and Seiya Kou, forming a shield of glittering light that veiled them from sight.

"_My beloved daughter_," a warm voice, a lasting memory, resonated through the hollow. Serenity's hair floated around her, fluttering lightly as the energy cracked around them.

Her moon insignia flashed, and the golden light pierced through the silver veil, connecting with the foreheads of the senshi encircling them, causing gravity to momentarily suspend. Strands of hair and fuku skirts floated upward in the air and small pebbles rotated quickly around the senshi. Their tiaras vanished and were replaced by the respective planetary symbols, brightly shining myriad of colours. Their eyes drifted closed as they clasped hands with one another.

Princess Serenity absorbed the energies of her court and fell forward across Seiya's chest. She murmured his name into his suit and listened to the faint, slow beat of his heart, and she thought that she felt her heart slow with his. Sparkling tears swelled in her eyes and soaked into the fabric of Seiya's shirt as he smiled at her one last time, before finally giving into his exhaustion and pain.

The silver crystal shone brilliantly above them, and began to absorb dark energy that was seeping from the wound in Seiya's chest.

The silver crystal flared and then extinguished, obliterating the shining silver veil around Serenity and Seiya. It hung, suspended in the air for several moments, before emerging back into Serenity's body. The senshi began to rush forward, but stopped when silver flecks began separating from Seiya's motionless body.

The fragments of memory floated into the air and rained down upon the senshi.

**/end juu-shi**

in the next instalment:  
_juu-go: wherein there are memories_


	15. juugo: wherein there are memories

**Writer's Notes: **Thank you and hugs to all those who have read, reviewed, added this story to their favourites and/or alerts or C2s. You guys just make my day, -hugs- and -cookies-

I hope you enjoy this chapter :) Since these are all memories, they should be in italic, but thought that would be too much italics for people to read, so they are in normal font.

**juu-go: wherein there are memories **

A fourteen-year-old girl stood in front of a full-length mirror and adjusted her new senshi fuku. She picked up her ivory-winged, golden star brooch and, demonstrating immense care, secured it between her breasts against the navy blue leather of her top. Her azure eyes stared proudly at her reflection, and she completed her uniform by fastening baby blue buckles around her upper arms and a matching choker around her neck.

Sailor Starfighter's heart rapped against her ribcage as she whirled around in a circle, admiring her new senshi fuku, before jogging out of her chambers to find her cousins and comrades-in-arms. She entered the dining room and found Sailors Starmaker and Starhealer zipping up their thigh-high leather boots.

"Queen Kakyuu-sama sent orders while you were dressing, Starfighter," Starmaker said with a serious tone, having entered her self-imposed role as senshi leader without trouble. "The High Queen of the Orion Arm will be arriving in an hour, with some of the sovereigns beneath her kingdom's rule. Our first act as the princess's guardians are to escort her to greet Queen Serenity and the other guests."

Starfighter bounced back on forth on her heels, unable to contain her excitement. "Hai."

"The Princess comes of age tomorrow. There will be a ceremony at dawn, attended only by those of honour, followed by a banquet and a costumed ball in the evening. We are to provide an escort and protection to Kakyuu-hime. Kakyuu-sama has generously granted us permission to attend the ball in costume, but we are not to forget our mission to serve the princess."

Starhealer stuck her tongue out at her cousin, who was only three months her senior. "You remind me of Madame Kou," she giggled, remembering the heavy-set woman who trained them in their destined senshi duties. "She would be proud is she could hear you now, Taiki!"

Starmaker's violet eyes burned at her civilian name. "It's Starmaker now," she replied through gritted teeth. "We are better than Yaten, Taiki and Seiya, we are senshi. You would do well not to forget that."

Starhealer rolled her brilliant emerald eyes and folded her arms below her small breasts. Starfighter nodded enthusiastically, her eyes sparkling with a vibrancy unseen in the teenager since her childhood days. The brown-haired teenager studied her senshi, tucking a stray strand of hair behind Starfighter's ear and wiping a smudge of dirt off of Starhealer's cheek, before announcing them adequately-presentable to the queen and princess.

---

The ceremony was held beneath the glistening golden light of dawn in the presence of the Queens Kakyuu, Eos, Serenity, Kalyke, the Kings Woden, Thanatos, Hermes and Apollon, and an audience of civilians watching from behind the walls of the sacred chamber. It was three hours of tedious ritual wherein the Princess Kakyuu officially became the crowned princess of Kinmoku-sei, and the Sailor Starlights were sworn in as her guardian senshi. When the sun was midway across the crystal blue sky, the princess and her senshi were finally able to retire to the princess's chambers.

A light lunch of fruits, breads and vegetables was served by the kitchen servants and the four young women talked with each other, speculating about the other princesses and princes that would be attending the ball this evening.

The banquet passed as a solemn affair and the senshi and sixteen-year-old princess were eager to leave and change into their costumes for the ball. Kakyuu and her guardians dressed in elaborate gowns and wore feathered masks across their eyes, hiding their identities. They entered the ballroom inconspicuously and danced with many young suitors and gossiped with the other princesses and senshi.

---

Princess Serenity was fourteen-years-old when she was first permitted to attend a costumed ball hosted by another kingdom. She brought with her three of her childhood friends and future guardians, the Princesses of Mercury, Venus and Jupiter. They entered the ballroom, gawking with awe at the polished alabaster walls, the thick satin fabric draped from the ceiling and the marble dance floor. Vibrant colours of crimson, burnt orange and deep topaz decorated the walls in honour of the fireball princess Kakyuu.

The beauty of Queen Kakyuu and her daughter paled in comparison to the exquisite beauty of the Moon Princess, when she stepped onto the dance floor with a handsome young man from Kinmoku-sei. She wore a simple dress made of white ostrich and black swan feathers, with a moonstone mask covering her crystal-blue eyes. As the instrumental song ended, and the young man bowed to the princess and left, Serenity turned toward her friends with an ecstatic look upon her face, which quickly fell as Queen Serenity approached.

"Come, Princess Serenity, I would like to introduce you to the Princess Kakyuu of Kinmoku-sei," she said as she lovingly placed her hand on her daughter's arm. "Feel welcomed to join us as well, princesses of Jupiter-sei, Venus-sei and Mercury-sei." She lead the four fourteen-year-olds through the crowd toward the red-haired princess and her three guardians. As they approached, the Kinmoku-sei senshi stood, smoothing the wrinkles from their dresses.

"Princess Kakyuu of the third honourary planet of Kinmoku-sei, I would like to introduce you to my daughter, Princess Serenity of the White Moon Kingdom of the Orion Arm, and the princesses Jupiter, Venus and Mercury." Queen Serenity spoke with an even tone that was laced with royal duty. Kakyuu meekly smiled and grasped hands with the Moon Princess as Queen Serenity left the teenagers alone.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Princess Serenity. These are my guardian senshi, Starmaker, Starfighter and Starhealer."

The blonde princess flicked her eyes toward the three young women in amethyst, emerald and sapphire gowns, but quickly gave her attention back toward Kakyuu. "Thank you for inviting us, Princess Kakyuu," she said warmly.

Any other polite words of exchange were cut short when a group of young men approached the beautiful women, asking them the honour of a dance. The eight men escorted their dance partners onto the dance floor as the song began.

Starfighter politely danced with the son of a wealthy merchant, but her eyes kept wandering to the Moon Princess, telling herself that she was merely envious of her exotic beauty. Serenity never once looked at Starfighter, she only had eyes for the handsome man she danced with.

As the song ended, several of the young women escaped and sat together on the smooth marble of the spiral staircase. Starfighter continued to watch Serenity twirl elegantly upon the dance floor, telling herself that she wished her feet could move that way. She drifted into her own reverie, ignoring the conversations between her cousins and the Milky Way senshi.

Starmaker sat at the circular table next to the beautiful princess of Venus-sei, her violet eyes burrowing into the bright blue orbs of the blonde . "How do you organise the senshi?" the leader of the Kinmoku-sei senshi asked as she accepted a chalice of orange-blossom cider from a servant.

Venus enviously watched the handsome youth dancing with Princess Kakyuu. "There are two ranks of senshi for the Orion Arm, although we don't come into our powers until later in life," she flippantly explained. "The senshi of the inner planetary system--that is, myself, Jupiter-chan, Mercury-chan and Mars-chan--are destined to protect Serenity-hime. The outer planetary senshi are to protect our solar system from alien invaders."

The brunette Kinmoku-sei nodded, drinking in her words and committing them to her sharp-edged memory. "There is no interaction between the two factions?"

As a servant passed with a tray of exotic foods, Princess Venus grabbed something that resembled an electric orange kiwi fruit. She nibbled on it briefly, then deemed it edible. The conversation continued on senshi business until a young man rescued her, requesting a dance. Venus, thankful to escape Starmaker's questions, couldn't care that he was not handsome enough for her attention.

**/end juu-go**

in the next instalment:  
_juu-roku: wherein there are legends of creation_


	16. juuroku: wherein there are legends

**Writer's Notes: **Thank you and hugs to all those who have read, reviewed, added this story to their favourites and/or alerts or C2s. You guys just make my day, -hugs- and -cookies-

This is a rather long chapter, I added a lot before the legend of creation scene at the end, because I wanted some Starmaker and Mercury scenes, as well as the war housekeeping scenes, but I'm sure no one will mind ;) Pluto also receives some love too, she deserves it, no? Please consider leaving a review if you are enjoying the story.

**juu-roku: wherein there are legends of creation **

"Queen Serenity?" a radiating senshi with ethereal blue hair knelt on the moonstone in the royal chamber, her eyes focussed on the intricate patterns in the semi-precious flooring. "A servant from the Tartarus galaxy arrived moments ago. She carries with her a message from Queen Erebus and her son, Prince Nyx."

The Moon Queen stared forward, her mind screaming with countless thoughts. When the young senshi nervously looked up, Serenity blinked away tears that she never realised were forming and spoke with a practiced tone. "Send the servant in."

The senshi stood, nodding. "Hai, Queen Serenity-sama." Her footfalls echoed throughout the chamber as she left, only to return several moments later with a black-haired woman following her. She quickly knelt to Queen Serenity, and jabbed the servant in the ribs when she didn't bow as well.

"Please leave us, Nereid-san." Queen Serenity stood, her fingers trailing along her cold throne as she watched the senshi from the moon of the water planet back out of the royal chambers.

The servant took a step back as she stared at the Moon Queen, shying away from the brilliant light that seemed to be emitting from Serenity's pale skin. The strands of her floor-length hair snaked across the floor and outlined a lithe body that was a cold shade of deathly-blue. Her eyes were narrow slits, the pupils outlined in silver, and the white robe that marked her a servant was worn with the dust of travels.

"Queen Serenity-sama of the Orion Arm," her voice was soft and melodious. "I bring a message from my Lady Mistress and Young Lord of the Tartarus kingdom. She requests an audience with King Thanatos, the Princess Pluto, and the honoured Queen Serenity." She held out a scroll tied with a black ribbon and sealed with the wax emblem of a three-headed dog.

When the queen touched the parchment, it was as though all the warmth was drained from her body and transferred to the paper. She untied the ribbon and broke the seal, her fingers numb from coldness, and scanned the message written by Erebus. Her face softened as she read the words. "Hai. I will inform Thanatos and Pluto. Tell your Lady Mistress and Young Lord that we will prepare for their arrival."

---

Queen Erebus and Prince Nyx arrived on a Saturday at three o'clock in the morning, and were escorted into the starless chamber in the ice castle on Pluto's surface. The royal mother and son from the death planet were covered in thick black robes, their pale hands clasped firmly together, a black beaded necklace tangled between their fingers. Their skin shone an eerie shade of blue and their eyes were narrow slits encased in a silvery iris. Their presence stole the warmth and luminosity from the chamber, and Queen Serenity tightly wrapped herself in the thick furs of an artic fox.

The aliens bowed to King Thanatos as he entered with his daughter. The king of Pluto-sei wore a thick black cloak, tied across his shoulders with a silver clasp in the shape of an inverted torch. A polished mask of shining bone covered his empty, black eyes, and his white hair was pulled tightly back at the base of his neck, tied with a blood-red ribbon. As he strode forward, his cloak billowed out and revealed his dented armour.

The timeless princess of the planet Pluto wore a feather-light ebony gown that cascaded down from her slender waist. Her crimson eyes darted around the room, and only momentarily faltered with emotion when they came to rest on Prince Nyx. Pluto's slender fingers traced the soft fabric of her evening gloves and she inclined her head into a respectful bow toward Queen Serenity.

Prince Nyx came forward and bowed to the princess, the strands of his hair falling forward around his exotic face. His deft fingers concealed the necklace and he took the princess's hand within his.

"My love," Nyx whispered, his voice sounding hollow.

Pluto blushed deeply when Nyx pressed his lips onto the back of her hand, his lips feeling like ice. She withdrew her hand before he removed all traces of warmth from her veins, clasping them firmly behind her back.

The Queen of the darkened planet laughed, her pale face ablaze with vivacity. "Honoured King Thanatos and Queen Serenity, my son Nyx wishes to offer our alliance in this time of coming animosities, in return for the wedded hand of Princess Pluto."

Queen Serenity's shoulders relaxed as a warm smile faded into her soft expression. "Coming animosities?" she asked, her tone carefully moulded to show astonishment.

"Oh Serenity-sama!" Queen Erebus wrapped her arms around the Moon Queen's shoulders and embraced her in a hug. "Queen Kalyke's mouth is clamouring, her intentions of war have drifted to the edges of the universe where life is in a suspended state of mortality. I have met her new High General Beryl, she is quite gifted in the tongue. My brother has fallen under her charms and offered her the services of his shadow court, if she should be in the need. Her demands are preposterous, you must assemble an army to quiet her."

King Thanatos thrust his jaw out, his ashen hands clenching into fists at his side. "Queen Kalyke's demands are understandable, given the circumstances," he snapped, his black eyes hardening like stone as he regarded the two queens before him.

Any reply that Queen Erebus had was silenced by Queen Serenity's desire to remain peaceful. "Please, now is not the time for such talk. We should be celebrating the union of Princess Pluto and Prince Nyx, that is, if she will accept. It is not my decision to make in the end, it is not our custom to dictate whom our children marry. They are permitted to marry for love in our realm."

"And it is our custom to offer a dowry to the bride's realm."

King Thanatos nodded abruptly. "I understand. We would not think of dishonouring your customs, my dear Queen of Shadows." He raised his hand into the air, motioning for Princess Pluto to come forward. "Daughter, do you wish to accept the prince's offer of wedded union?"

A warm feeling pulsated in Pluto's stomach and vibrated out to her fingers and toes. "Hai, father, I do."

---

Queen Serenity regarded the parchment clenched between her pale hands with sorrowful eyes. She blinked once, twice, and a third time, through a veil of unshed tears that threatened to spill over like a waterfall and bury the horrid words and her kingdom in ashen water. Earlier this moonrise, Queen Kalyke's high general convinced the Queen of the Cassiopeia galaxy and the King of the Scorpius kingdom to offer the Earth Queen their services, in return for greater power when the Moon Monarchy fell. Her alliances appeared to be growing exponentially, and Queen Serenity feared that a war was inevitable.

She folded the parchment and concealed it within a jewellery box on her goldenwood armoire. Soft sounds of laughter floated up from the moon-orchid gardens below her royal chambers, and she heard the light-hearted voices of her daughter and the princesses of the guardian planets. It pained her to think that the kingdom her mother had given her two millennia ago would not be the kingdom she could give her daughter. Her realm had never known the darkness of war before Queen Kalyke ascended the Earth throne just over a millennia ago.

It was the king of Saturn who suggested assassination of the Earth monarch, but that was not something that Queen Serenity could consider. It seemed that, barring acceptance of Kalykes's demands, the only avenue for the Moon Queen was war, and that broke her heart.

The silver-haired queen sighed deeply and turned toward the window, staring into the stars. In the distance, she could feel her sister Eos awakening beside her lover. The Kinmoku-sei kingdom was the first alliance Queen Serenity forged, and she knew that the Queen Kakyuu only agreed to it to appease her beloved Eos, and for the excuse to hold an alliance ceremony that lasted nearly thirteen hours.

As Serenity prepared for bed, her thoughts were overflowed with dark blood and crimson death, and her slumber brought nightmares of surrender.

---

The Imperial Galactic Library in the Athena kingdom was built from polished citrine stone, which shimmered beneath the sparkling light cast from the nearest orange star. It was rumoured that the High Queen of the Wisdom Planet was the first to lay the ancient gemstone and the first to use the facilities for knowledge and research. The library housed every book that was written since the birth of the galactic star, and the scholar who resided in the palace continued to record history as it passed. In this hub of knowledge, one could find the answer to every question they had yet to ask and find any information they sought.

Princess Kakyuu travelled to Athena's library when she was seventeen years of age, twenty moonrises after her mother offered her hand in marriage to Prince Triton of the Planet Mermaid-sei. The planetary customs of the water people were deeply rooted in their history. Princess Kakyuu was expected to study their customs with her future sister-in-law, Princess Mermaid, before her marriage ceremony.

When the orange star of Athena rose high in the sky, the princesses Kakyuu and Mermaid entered the shining citrine library, flanked by two of their guardian senshi. Leather-bound tomes lined the walls from the floor to the ceiling, dipping into small alcoves wherein the books were stacked one in front of another. Spiral staircases, carved from quartz, led to many other chambers with books dedicated to creation mythos, planetary customs, ancient languages and galactic algebra.

The two senshi followed their princesses up one of these staircase and into a small alcove labelled "planetary customs" with a flowing golden script. Mermaid's cerulean eyes, glimmering with silver sparkles beneath the irises, scanned over the rows of books. She withdrew a thick manuscript, bound in blue leather that appeared to flow like waves of the ocean, and placed it on a circular table in the centre of the chamber. She invited Princess Kakyuu to sit with her with the flourish of her hand.

"Sailor Seiren, there is no longer need for your presence. Kakyuu and I will remain here until dusk, please return then." Princess Mermaid didn't look at her guardian as she spoke, and instead opened the text to a page marked "Cosmos Creation" and began to translate the native language of her people into the Common Language that Princess Kakyuu could understand. The ink melted away and reformed as she worked.

Seiren bowed low, her light blue hair falling forward and puddling on the polished floor. "As you wish, Mermaid-hime." She backed out of the chamber without looking up.

Kakyuu nodded and motioned for her guardian to come forward. "Sailor Starmaker, thank you for accompanying me on this journey," she said softly as she pulled the brunette into a loving embrace. "This library is one of the wonders of our galaxy. When I was told by my mother to come here for study, I thought of no other senshi to invite with me, besides you." She released the brunette and took a step back, her hands lingering a moment longer on the Starlight's shoulders.

A small smile tugged on Starmaker's lips and she inclined her head toward Kakyuu in respect and gratitude. "Hai. Thank you, Kakyuu-hime." She left the two princesses to their pre-wedding duty and entered the lobby area of the library, taking the time to absorb everything around her. One day would not be enough time for her to appreciate even a fraction of the knowledge bound within the building. Part of her hoped that Kakyuu would have to remain here for another moonrise to study the customs of her prince.

She descended the staircase into the basement, where the natural science books were housed. Starmaker gingerly ran her hand along the worn spines of the physics books, her eyes scanning over the titles painted with silver lettering, wishing that she had the time to study them all. However, her imperial duty as a senshi came before any personal dreams that she might of once possessed.

The air was thick with the musky smell of books that were written by scholars centuries and millennia ago, and the senshi breathed deeply, savouring the scent. As her eyes drifted closed, she imagined intellectuals leaning over parchment, penning the mysteries of the universe to parchment. When she turned the corner, entering the astronomy section, her reverie was broken; she noticed another soul bent over a heavy book at the long rectangular table.

The young girl had short blue hair the colour of the oceans on Starmaker's planet and eyes that matched sapphire stone. A blue insignia on her forehead told the brunette that this was the Princess of Mercury-sei, a small planet in the Orion Arm of the Moon Monarchy. Mercury carefully turned the page of her textbook, and leaned in closer to study the illustrations of a phenomenon known as a black hole.

Starmaker flattened her body against the bookcases built into the citrine walls, hiding herself. She stared as Mercury ran her slender fingers along the image, her lip pursed in admiration and concentration. She recorded a few words in a notebook to her left before consulting another book on the subject matter.

The Starlight felt her heart warm as she found a kindred spirit in her love of knowledge, imagining herself with the time to study such wonders. She cleared her throat to announce her presence.

Mercury took in a sharp breath of air, jerking her head toward the sudden noise.

"I apologise for startling you," Starmaker said as she approached. Her gaze flickered at the tower of books on the table. This was once an area of study she immersed herself in before she was sworn in as Kakyuu's guardian and her life became her duty to the Fireball Princess. "Astonomy?" she asked. _A rather pathetic attempt at initiating conversation,_ she thought silently.

"Hai, I have always found the subject fascinating." She closed the book and invited Starmaker to sit with her. "Starmaker, is it?"

For a reason that would remained foreign to her for some time, Starmaker was pleased that Mercury remembered her. "Princess Mercury, what brings you here?" Her eyes sparkled as she took a seat across from the blue-haired princess.

"Black holes and other celestial phenomena," Mercury sheepishly replied, blushing in her cheeks and averting her eyes away from Starmaker's. "My late Mother, Queen Minerva, was a princess of Athena-sei. She always brought me here during the summer season on my home planet. After she died, father allowed me to continue the tradition. I love this library," her voice softened with the last statement, and she rose and glanced longingly at the books on the walls.

A warm sphere formed in Starmaker's stomach and pulsed in rhythm with her heartbeat. "Princess Kakyuu-hime is studying the customs of the water people of the water planet. She is to wed Prince Triton next moon pass, of the planet Mermaid."

"Oh, she is a lucky woman, Prince Triton is very attractive."

The sphere's warmth appeared to fade a fraction at Mercury's words, and Starmaker's eyes narrowed in confusion at this sudden emotion. "He is, if your heart beats in that direction," she said in a whisper, focussing her eyes on the lines of books behind Princess Mercury. "His twin sister, Princess Mermaid, is fabled to have a thousand suitors across the galaxy because of her beauty."

Mercury turned toward the brunette and clasped her hands together. "Are you one of those thousands, Starmaker-san?" She smiled, but quickly apologised for her words, ashamed of her prying.

Starmaker stepped forward, her violet eyes intense. "Please don't apologise, Mercury-san. I harbour no shame with who I am." She waved her hand in the air, dismissing the matter. "Anyway, it saves me the awkwardness of asking if you prefer women over men," she added, before she even realised that the words were passing through her mind and leaving her lips.

A deep crimson hue seeped into Mercury's cheeks and she quickly looked away, pretending to be preoccupied with the astronomy texts. "You are blunt, are you not?"

"You get nowhere in life if you are trapped by fear."

The blue-haired princess considered her words for a moment before nodding in agreement and turning her body toward the Starlight. The redness in her cheeks was slowly fading away as she fought for control over her flustered emotions. "You barely know me, Starmaker-san," she said, choosing to ignore the question and answer that she had kept hidden from her friends. "We met once, briefly, when your princess became of age. If my memory is correct, you discussed senshi matters with Venus-chan. Why would it matter to you if I prefer women or men?"

Starmaker's features softened. "Your star shines, Mercury-san. It shines from within, a brilliant blue light that falls on everything and illuminates it. It blinded me, when you first came over with Queen Serenity-sama and her daughter. I felt that you didn't know how you shone, that with a simple look, you lit up the room for me. Of course, after that, I couldn't find the courage to talk to you, your light shining from within fell upon my skin and burnt. It paled me in comparison to you."

Mercury blushed again and turned away to hide her embarrassment.

"Your star has not dulled, has not even flickered, Mercury-san. I found the courage to talk to you today, your light gave me that courage. Will you please join me for lunch? There is a tearoom not far from here." Starmaker's heart fluttered and her jangling nerves caused electrical impulses to dance across her skin.

"Hai, it would be my pleasure."

The two fifteen-year-olds exited the magnificent library and entered the sparkling streets of the imperial capital of Athena-sei. Street merchants were peddling their wares--exotic vegetables, silk clothing, rare jewels and small trinkets--in the market square, their voices ringing into the sky as they bartered with the city folk. Mercury and Starmaker paused at a kiosk selling ornaments crafted from blown glass, but hurried on their way before the merchant could come over and push his extravagant prices.

The teahouse rose out of a shimmering lake in the centre of the city, set aloft by thick stone pillars. The walls were crafted from dark mahogany carved with runic symbols of an ancient language, and the windows were covered with rice paper murals of ceremonious scenes. A crow-stepped gable decorated the highest peak of the temple-like roof, and reflected the heat from the sun.

Mercury and Starmaker crossed the swaying bridge leading to the main doors of the teahouse, admiring the white-flowered plants floating in the waters. They entered through the sliding doors, blinking their eyes against the dimness inside, and sat in a corner booth. When the waitress came by, Starmaker ordered them herbal teas and mini sandwiches.

"Thank you for lunch, Starmaker-san." Mercury took a sip of her tea, holding the cup within both hands and studying her surroundings. The teahouse was decorated with hanging wall scrolls that matched the murals on the windows, and the walls were a pale beige colour that seemed to match everything. There was a combination of booths, tables and chairs, and floor-mats around the room, and a variety of business men, ladies of the evening and merchants.

Mercury brought her attention back toward Starmaker. "You accompanied Princess Kakyuu-hime to Athena-sei, correct? How are her studies progressing? I have read about the water people, their history is deeply rooted in ceremony and mystery."

Starmaker watched as Mercury took a sandwich and nibbled on it, the action painstakingly lady-like. Her heart swelled, and she smile as she tasted her tea. "Hai. Kakyuu-hime's marriage to Prince Triton is forging an alliance between Queen Kakyuu-sama's kingdom and Queen Naiad-sama's kingdom. I overheard Kakyuu-sama and Eos-sama discussing the terms of the union, and this alliance also benefits the Moon Queen Serenity-sama. Are the talks of war, true? Is this Kaylyke threatening Serenity-sama's kingdom?"

Mercury sagged in her seat, her fingers running along the rim of her teacup. "Hai. They are pretending that war is not emerging over the horizons, but rumours pass quickly through the kingdoms. They cannot keep it from their children much longer, especially when the monarchs of the planets start to chose a side."

"They would not side with their High Queen?" Starmaker asked with an edge of anger and disbelief to her voice.

"I don't think some of them are," she said with a worried voice, her stomach suddenly feeling heavy with worry. "My father will, I have no doubt about that. After my mother's death, Queen Serenity-sama was always there for him. I don't think he would have pulled through without her."

Starmaker didn't know what else to say besides, "I am sorry."

"For what?" she smiled weakly. "Please, tell me about yourself. What is your home star like? I always wondered how your monarchy was established. Despite being the princesses of our home planets in the Orion Arm, we are also destined to be the senshi guardians of Serenity-hime. Are you a princess of your home star?"

Starmaker finished her sandwich and ordered two slices of cheesecake when the waitress came by. "My home star is desolate and uninhabitable, it shines from Kinmoku-sei with a faint violet colour. Kinmoku-sei has three moons--the energy that the Starlight senshi call upon are from those moons, but we were never princesses of our representative home stars. The powers that guided us select the three senshi from each generation before birth. It's our destined duty to guard Kakyuu-hime, we were trained from age six when we were taken from our parents to live with the Warrior Governess."

The two young girls finished their cheesecake and talked more of themselves, and of matters that interested them. In the short time of one afternoon, Starmaker felt that she knew Mercury all her life, that even if she never met her, she would always have known her. When the left the teahouse, the sun was setting below the mountains. Starmaker escorted Mercury to the castle grounds, to the guest house in the gardens.

"Can I see you again?" Starmaker asked as she took Mercury's hand within hers, locking their eyes together as though she sought to memorise her every feature.

Mercury blushed. "I don't see why not." She kissed Starmaker on the cheek, her fingers lingering through Starmaker's hand as she entered her guest house.

---

The Silver Crystal of the White Moon Kingdom emitted a faint, silvery aura that shone from the solar system, across the Orion Arm and on the other galaxies in the Virgo Supercluster. Its warm light touched all of life in the Milky Way, Andromeda, Pannotia and countless other galaxies, and it bequeathed the people a lifespan comparable to the immortals.

When Princess Serenity was five-hundred years of age (which correlated to fifteen-years-old in their next lifetime), she travelled to the Pannotia galaxy in the company of the princess of Neptune with a message to the High Queen Kakyuu of Pannotia.

Queen Kakyuu loved three things in life: her daughter, her lover and her ceremonies (although not necessarily in that order). The red-headed queen adorned in golden jewels implemented a message ceremony that lasted for three hours after two of Kinmoku-sei's moons appeared in the night sky.

At one o'clock in the morning, after the third moon rose, Serenity rested in the dew-covered grass of the royal gardens, her eyes staring at the myriad flickering stars in the sky. The green-haired princess of Neptune laid beside her, pointing at an exceptionally bright white star directly above them.

"Legend remembers a beautiful heroine with golden locks whom the three fates called Columbia. Her exquisite eyes reflected the intense lights that created our universe and her pale skin shone with a white light that evolved the first forms of life in the Alliance Galaxies. The gods themselves crafted her a sword from the iridium and titanium of their home star. She returned to the Rodinia galaxy, in the centre of the universe where she was born from the implosion of a star, and created a precious daughter, whom the kings and queens hailed as Galaxia.

"When Galaxia's mother passed into the next life, her daughter moulded her energy into the brightest star that shines in the night sky. That golden-white star is Columbia, Serenity-hime."

Serenity watched as the star flared with a brilliant golden light that paled the other lesser stars surrounding it. The three moons of Kinmoku-sei were beginning their descent into the horizon now, their baby blue, deep violet and brilliant emerald auras shading the sky in faint light.

"What happened to Galaxia?" Serenity asked, propping up on an elbow and glancing at Neptune. From her peripheral vision, she saw a long-haired young woman slipping through the white and black agate gateway into the gardens.

Neptune's eyes shone unsteadily toward their intruder. "She remains the only immortal in Rodinia, a galaxy so cold and dense with heavy metals that no life forms have ever evolved there. She watches life pass in the hospitable sectors of her universe in a cauldron filled with liquid metals, forever unseen by mortal eyes. She is the protector of our universe, Serenity-hime, the Highest of the High Queens of the Royal Order."

As the princess of the sea-planet spoke, she slowly dragged herself to her feet, removing the thin blades of grass that stuck to the satin of her dress. She assisted Serenity to her feet, and shielded her princess's body with her own as a teenager emerged from behind a twilight greenwood tree.

"What is your business here?" Neptune demanded.

Starfighter paused, taken aback by the older girl's tone. She furiously blushed as Serenity's eyes burrowed into her, and she reminded herself that she merely wished she could have just a fraction of the Moon Princess's beauty. "I--I heard your story from my chambers," she weakly explained, "Madame Kou always lectured us in the history of our universe, I merely found it interesting. I had never heard the legend of Columbia as you told it." And I wanted to be closer to your princess, she added in her mind.

Neptune's defiant stare relaxed as Starfighter bowed at the waist toward them.

"Forgive my intrusion, princesses of the White Moon Kingdom and Neptune-sei. I am Starfighter, guardian senshi to Princess Kakyuu of Kinmoku-sei."

Serenity stepped from Neptune's protective charge and greeted Starfighter. "It is a pleasure to meet your acquaintance, Starfighter," she said as she briefly shook the alien's hand.

Starfighter blanched, and couldn't find the words to let the princess know that they had met before. In a moment, she felt an icy grip contract over her heart and migrate its way into the pit of her stomach, but Starfighter quickly dismissed it as her moon setting below the horizon.

"Do you have legends of your galaxy's creation?" Serenity asked hopefully.

A small blush crept into Starfighter's cheeks, but under the cloak of darkness, no one noticed. "Hai," she replied and invited Serenity and Neptune to sit with her on an ornate bench carved from ancient migmatite rock. "Legend has it that Pannotia, the sister of the sightless Queen Pangaea, stole away parts of her sister's kingdom and hid them deep in a part of the Local Group Star Cluster that was unoccupied. She first provided her new kingdom with two binary stars that the planetary bodies orbited around. These stars shone over five planets, of which only Kinmoku-sei was able to support life. Pannotia attempted to steal her sister's biosphere on the outer most planet, but she was caught by the king's mother and banished by her sister at this time. Without the power to create biospheres to support life, she took three of the planets and chipped them away to be the moons that you see in our skies. Through her powers, she harnessed the energy from our moons and gave them to three young women in each successive generation to protect the royal family. Queen Kakyuu is the third descendent of Pannotia."

"Interesting," Neptune deliberated. "I read that Pangaea offered her sister parts of her kingdom and created the senshi to protect her weaker sibling."

Starfighter shrugged, her lips tightening into a frown. "They are but legends. What about your mother's kingdom, Serenity-hime?"

"Queen Serenity-sama's kingdom consists of the Orion Arm in the Milky Way," Neptune answered, much to Starfighter's aggravation. "We have been taught that Columbia fashioned the spiral galaxy from a drop of her blood when she accidentally cut herself on her sword. Her tears formed the Silver Moon Crystal, which she gave to the goddess Selenity to protect. Serenity-sama is the second descendent of Selenity. Serene, Serenity-sama's honoured mother, created the biospheres on the inhospitable planets of our solar system."

"I apologise, but I am unfamiliar with the structure of the Orion Arm's sovereignty."

"It is quite simple. Serenity-sama is the High Queen of the Orion Arm, she governs over the lesser kings and queens of the individual planets. The Queens of the Sagittarius Arm and Perseus Arm report to Serenity-sama, as there no one above her besides Galaxia, whom no one has seen for an eternity. I understand that Queen Kakyuu is the high queen of this small star system?"

Starfighter nodded toward Neptune, but kept her eyes on Serenity as though attempting to memorise her every feature. Serenity glowed with an eerie, mystical glow in the violet light cast from the only moon in the sky now and she looked more ethereal than she did beneath the light of the suns. She emitted a warm light that danced over Starfighter's cool skin.

"Please excuse us, Starfighter," Neptune began coarsely, brusquely, as she noticed the look glazing over in Starfighter's eyes; it was one she currently gave the princess of Uranus. "Serenity-hime and I must return to our kingdoms soon, and Kakyuu-sama is holding the farewell ceremony at dawn."

Astonishment passed quickly over Starfighter's face as she stalled for words, searching for justification to further admire Serenity's beauty. "H-hai. Would you like an escort back to your chambers?" she asked, but Neptune was already guiding Serenity toward the castle.

A microscopic voice in Starfighter's mind humourlessly laughed as it realised that the young girl was in love with the Moon Princess. The laughter abruptly died when Starfighter herself realised it.

**/end juu-roku**

in the next instalment:  
_juu-sichi: wherein there is an engagement_


	17. juusichi: wherein there is an engagement

**Writer's Notes: **Thank you and hugs to all those who have read, reviewed, added this story to their favourites and/or alerts or C2s. You guys just make my day, -hugs- and -cookies-

I apologise for not posting this sooner, it was the subject of some major edits for some time. Please check out the website for a very lovely image of Yaten and Princess Venus, drawn by reirei18.

**juu-sichi: wherein there is an engagement **

The Immortal god Oceanus once had a lover--Tethys, the calming energy of rivers and streams. She bore him many lesser Immortals, water gods, during their immemorial time together. The children of Oceanus and Tethys left their home and journeyed through the universe, and one by one, they began to make a new home for themselves, embodying the energy of the water planets and ice moons of the universe. Time flowed, and they became the patron Immortal for the mortals birthed there.

Thousands of years passed, Oceanus and Tethys saw their children glowing with the power of the gods and the love of the mortals. The lovers saw the universe, which they assisted in fashioning, grow into a entity of immeasurable beauty, love and harmony.

A few millennia after Galaxia moulded her mother's energy into the brightest star in the night sky, the planetary body that Tethys represented imploded, and the Immortal fell ill. When she died, Oceanus took her body and her devastated planet to the only other Immortal in the universe with the power to transform her energy--Pluto, god of the underworld and the keeper of souls. Pluto altered Tethys's energy and inserted a fraction into seven of Neptune-sei's moons, where several of her daughters had ended their journeys almost two millennia before.

The ice satellite Psamathe was the smallest of Neptune-sei's captured moons, the youngest daughter of Oceanus and Tethys. When Tethys's energy had been added with her daughter's, a lone castle had been raised at the point of magnetic north. It was in this castle, on this moon, that the mortals of the Milky Way celebrated the love between two of their princesses.

The engagement ceremony of Princesses Neptune and Uranus was a marvellous affair that lasted for three moon-rises. The castle of Psamathe was given to Princess Neptune from her father as a gift for her coming-of-age ceremony, almost five centuries ago, and the senshi of lust and beauty had spent many sun passes decorating it.

A vast ice chandelier hung from the high ceiling in the ballroom, lit with magickal fires that offered no warmth, only light. Quartz icicles were suspended in a circular pattern from the chandelier, and reflected the shining light from the flames, separating the white light into all those of the spectrum. Frozen ivy vines climbed the ice walls and were frozen into the floor, creating the illusion of a magnificent garden, frozen in time. A silver staircase spiralled to the balcony. The railings were draped with silver and golden silk cloths, entwined with green and blue ribbons and frozen ivy vines.

Music drifted through the chamber and echoed off the walls, creating a ghostly song, as the Princesses Neptune and Uranus appeared at the top of the staircase, their strapped high heels clacking in a harmonious melody. Neptune wore her sea-green hair in soft waves around her angelic face, and her mermaid-style gown was marine blue with silver threading. Uranus's blonde hair was cut short in a masculine style, but she wore a cobalt blue suit that was tailored for a woman's frame.

With one lasting look between them, they clasped their hands together and descended the staircase as all fell silent. As they walked toward the king and queen of their planets, ivy vines grew in their wake and become covered almost immediately with hoarfrost. Neptune and Uranus stopped at the ice alter, standing before King Poseidon and Queen Titania.

"Millennia and millennia ago, two Gods were born from nothingness, the Sky Mother and Ocean Father. They came together in infinite darkness, and from their union, the Immortals were born, and demi-Immortals, and mortals. Their love warmed the darkness and from that first golden seed, the universe came into existence, each Immortal or demi-Immortal offering a piece of themselves to every planetary body. On this night, we gather once more to honour another union of the sky and ocean. With the powers passed to us from Poseidon and Caelus, we give our daughters, the princesses of Neptune-sei and Uranus-sei of the White Moon Kingdom of the Orion Arm, to each other with love. May their union be blessed by the stars," the king and queen spoke together.

Thunderous applauding and cheering reigned in the air as Uranus and Neptune pressed their lips together.

"Wonderful, now that the official matters are concluded, everyone eat, drink and be merry!" Queen Titania clapped her hands together and the tables were filled with platters of fruits, vegetables and meats, with carafes of wine, mead and teas.

The Princesses Uranus and Neptune turned toward the guests and clasped their hands together as they walked down the aisle. Golden petals from a rock rose rained upon the couple from the ceiling, and silver stars sparkled around them. They exited into the atrium, where they were quickly surrounded by guests offering congratulatory kisses and warm words. King Kronos of Saturn-sei was one of the first to come over, guiding his very-pregnant wife beside him.

"Congratulations, Neptune-hime, Uranus-hime! May the gods bless your union," the woman said in a meek voice as she lightly passed her fingers through their hands.

Neptune beamed, her sea-green eyes shining. "Thank you for coming, Queen Rhea-sama, travelling is not recommended for a woman in your condition. When are you expecting the young princess?"

Rhea placed her hands on her large stomach, feeling her baby move inside her. "Within the next moon pass," she replied, feeling the warmth emanating from her stomach with a soft smile appearing across her lips. "We decorated the nursery with fireflies, they are a fortunate open after all."

"Come my love," King Kronos began, "we do not wish to be the only ones basked in the light of this new love tonight." He lightly kissed the two princesses on the cheek before he lead Rhea back into the ballroom.

-

Sailors Starfighter and Starhealer lounged against the silky curtains that draped the walls, watching with bored eyes as the receiving line leisurely passed Princesses Neptune and Uranus. The guests began meandering back into the ballroom, busying themselves with conversation and wine, when Starmaker and Mercury approached the young lovers, offering a gentle embrace and kind words. Starfighter yawned, averted her attention back toward the guests, and considered sneaking away before the night's entertainment began.

"Starfighter-san!" a voice called when the Starlights were about to ascend the staircase and escape the ballroom. Princess Serenity bounded over, her face glowing and silver-blonde hair fluttering around her. She stopped a few metres before the stairs, her chest heaving as she caught her breath, and the Princesses Mars and Jupiter caught up with her. hey each wore a silky-white gown, tucked in at the waist and flared at the hips, and adorned with jewels--rubies for Mars, emeralds for Jupiter and diamonds for Serenity.

When Serenity walked forward to meet them, the soft fire-light from the chandeliers reflected off the diamonds in her dress, creating a halo effect in Starfighter's vision. "Serenity-hime," she whispered in a voice that was reserved for the gods, that caused Starhealer's eyes to widen with astonishment.

Serenity hugged the Starlight, and Starfighter forgot her words as Serenity's warm body was pressed against hers. Her cheeks blushed a bright crimson colour, and she breathed deeply the sweet scent of Serenity's skin. Jasmine, she thought, with a hint of heather and lotus blossom.

"Ice skaters will be performing soon in the Ice Cavern, would you care to join us." Serenity pulled away after lingering in Starfighter's embrace.

Starfighter nodded, unable to speak for a long moment as her gaze lingered on Serenity's lithe form beneath the gown. "H-hai," she stuttered, and Starhealer sighed and rolled her eyes.

The two Starlights followed Serenity, Mars and Jupiter from the banquet hall, where other guests were already congregating outside of the Ice Cavern, sharing gossip before the performance started. The young women snaked their way through the crowd and found seats in the front of the amphitheatre beside Starmaker and Princess Mercury.

The magical fires lining the cavern walls slowly dimmed and the audience fell quiet. On the ice stage, two skaters began their elegant movements to the classical music, re-enacting the myth about Columbia and her daughter, Galaxia. After a time, Starmaker held Mercury's hand beneath the cover of darkness, and Starfighter fought with herself as she longed to caress Serenity's hand. But when she thought she found the courage to act, to let Serenity know of her feelings, the lights came back up and the audience stood and clapped.

After the performance, an extravagant feast of artic venison, roast vegetables and spicy mead was served in the banquet hall. When the guests had eaten and the servants cleared everything away, the musicians took to the stage and the dance began. Starfighter once again found herself staring at Serenity's graceful moves on the dance floor as the princess danced with a fine young gentlemen. She sighed and turned away, a hollow ache forming in her stomach.

"I can't believe you, Starfighter," Starhealer said, turning her nose up at her comrade. "She's the Moon Princess Serenity, what are you thinking?"

Starfighter's azure eyes narrowed. "Do you think I don't know that?"

"Princesses marry princes, they don't even look at guardians, let alone commoners. Do you think you have a chance against that, Starfighter? Even if you were from royal blood like the other senshi in the universe, there is still the predicament of your sex. I hardly think that Serenity-hime feels that way for women, considering how she adores the attention from the handsome gentlemen that are drawn to her beauty."

"I don't need you to tell me what I already know, Starhealer!" she snapped as she stood up, storming away through the crowd of people. She slammed the balcony door behind her as she left the banquet hall.

The balcony jetted from the ice castle and, like the castle itself, was fashioned from mystical ice that would never melt. Starfighter leaned against the railing, the ice cool against her sweat-damp skin, and closed her eyes. Exhaustion suddenly took over, and it felt as though every muscle in her body ached with fever. Her satin dress was heavy on her slim frame, and the baby blue fabric was beginning to itch her skin. The black-haired senshi opened her eyes and stared into the ice gardens below, attempting to block out the jubilant sound filtering through the balcony doors.

The gardens below were covered in a thin sheet of ice, and white lilies and blue roses were beginning to crack their way through, emerging from frozen sleep. Ice sculptures of armour-clad warriors, magnificent beasts and graceful maidens were erected across the grounds, and a fountain stood in the centre, its water spilling forth and across the ice.

When Starfighter heard a couple giggle, her eyes found the source of the sound. Her cousin Starmaker and the Mercury-sei princess were running through the maze of sculptures and frozen trees. When Mercury ran around the fountain, Starmaker caught her in her arms and kissed her quickly.

Mercury's voice floated up to the balcony. "I wish we didn't have to sneak around like this, away from the eyes of those we love. I am beginning to regret the decision to keep this a secret. There is nothing to gain from silence."

Starfighter watched as the young girls sat on the edge of the fountain, their hands interlocked and bodies angled toward each other. "You do not understand Starhealer and Starfighter as I have come to, my Mizu-hime. I once told them that nothing else mattered besides our duty as senshi to Kakyuu- hime, that our lives belonged to her, that we no longer had the right to dreams and romance of our own."

"Who we are is not merely defined by what we are." Princess Mercury's painted lips curved into a frown. She carefully removed a brunette strand of hair that fell across Starmaker's forehead, tucking it behind her lover's ear.

"I fell in love with you, my beautiful Mizu-hime, my water princess," Starmaker began with such a gentle voice that Starfigher had to lean forward, staining just to overhear her. "I never expected something this amazing and magickal to happen to me. When I first became a senshi, my duty to my princess was my life, it was the destiny I was born into, after all. But after meeting you, after your light blinded me, chased away my darkness . . ." Starmaker's voice faded away when Mercury withdrew her hand to press her finger to Starmaker's lips.

"Taiki-chan," Mercury used the civilian name that Starmaker once vehemently opposed, "I don't wish to hide anymore." She leaned closer and lightly touched her lips to the brunette's, pulling back a few seconds later.

Starmaker ran her hand along Mercury's cheek, capturing her eyes within hers. "Will your light shine up my darkness for eternity?" she whispered as she leaned forward and rested her forehead against Mercury's.

"Hai."

Starfighter smiled, thankful that Starmaker found love, and thinking that Starhealer was right. Princess Serenity was the Moon Princess, the future High Queen of the Orion Arm, descended from the Moon Goddess Selene.

"Am I truly not good enough?" she asked herself.

In the gardens below, Starmaker and Mercury disappeared into the castle. Starfighter pushed herself from the railing and, with a deep sigh, returned to the banquet hall, where Serenity was dancing with Prince Endymion. Starfighter's eyes met with Serenity's and held them for a moment, but Serenity broke the gaze and looked back toward the handsome prince. Starfighter's heart fell into her blue heels and she retired to her chambers for the night.

**/end juu-sichi**

in the next instalment:  
_juu-hachi: wherein there is a wedding_


	18. juuhachi: wherein there is a wedding

**Writer's Notes: **Thank you and hugs to all those who have read, reviewed, added this story to their favourites and/or alerts or C2s. You guys just make my day, -hugs- and -cookies-

I know it has been a few months since this story was updated, I will try not to let that happen . . . at least not too often ^^;;; This chapter is shorter than they have been, and the next one is actually going to be shorter. I will try to post it soon.

If you are interested to check out more artwork (some new ones posted, very lovely), some spoilers and random information regarding this story, please check out: h t t p : / / m o i r a e 3 3 3 . b r a v e h o s t . c o m / s m . h t m l (remove spaces from URL).

**juu-hachi: wherein there is a wedding**

The water planet was nestled in the corner of the Milky Way, forgotten to all expect those who lived there. It was a small planet that circled a red star, and although the star was too cool to provide heat for the planet, the core contained radioactive uranium that was able to sustain the waters at a temperature suitable for life. The people of Mermaid-sei lived in underwater castles, some which were encased in a quartz bubble and some which opened directly to the currents of water. Natives to the planet evolved with the ability to siphon oxygen both from the water and from the air around them.

Mermaid-sei was governed by the benevolent Naiad-sama, a virgin queen who had bore twins after she had swam within the sea-foam of her planet. As all those descended from the water Immortal Amphitrite, Prince Triton's and Princess Mermaid's skin shone with a shimmering blue colour when they were beneath the waters.

The satellite circling Mermaid-sei also circled another planetoid in the galaxy every three moon phases, in an highly elliptical orbit. When the moon was pulled into the gravitational influence of the neighbouring planet, Prince Triton celebrated his marriage to the Fireball Princess Kakyuu.

Starfighter stood at the edge of the quartz encasement and stared at the neon jellyfish and semi-sentient dolphins swimming through the purple waters. The ceremony had ended a while ago, and Starfighter still wore her bridesmaid dress, although the other Starlights had changed into their reception dress earlier in the evening. Like the other strapless gowns worn by her cousins, hers was vibrant shades of crimson, topaz and amber, the skirt resembling flames that licked up her legs. A sunstone necklace, a gift from Kakyuu-hime, dangled between her breasts, where the dress plunged drastically in the V-pattern.

In the short time that the red star had disappeared and reappeared over the horizon, Starfighter had three proposals from noble Mermaid-jins-none of them for marriage. The sixteen-year-old wanted nothing more than to return to her home planet of Kinmoku-sei. With the rising stars, Princess Kakyuu would be leaving for her honeymoon with her husband, and the Starlights were relieved of their duties until she returned.

Queen Kakyuu had yet to determine if her daughter would remain on Mermaid-sei in the splendorous underwater castles, or if she and Prince Triton would live on Kinmoku-sei in the Citrine Citadel. The contract between Queens Naiad and Kakyuu dictated that the princess would be allowed one attendant and guardian, if she was to begin her married life on Mermaid-sei. Starfighter hoped that it wouldn't be her, she no longer felt the desire to sacrifice everything for her duty.

"Starfighter!" a voice called from the castle.

"Nani?" The Starlight turned away from the quartz stone protecting the area from the pressure of the waters and saw her cousins coming toward her. Both were dressed in unadorned sundresses, Starhealer in light emerald and Starmaker in faded amethyst.

They surrounded Starfighter, stalking and ambushing her like two mountain lions preying on a lamb. "Starfighter! The wait staff are serving the cocktails, the speeches will be starting soon. You have worried Kakyuu-hime over your absence! Are you forgetting your duty? As her attendants and senshi, we should be by her side," Starmaker admonished as she grabbed Starfighter's wrist, yanking her forward. "You have yet to change? I cannot believe that you would be this irresponsible! Kakyuu-hime was depending on you this evening."

Starfighter let herself be dragged along by her cousins, one pulling on each arm as they hauled her toward the castle. When they were ascending the staircase to their chambers, Starfighter caught sight of Princess Serenity as she sat next to her escort, some Prince of a planet she had never heard of. After Starfighter changed into her baby-blue sundress, she joined her cousins in the banquet hall, sitting next to the bride at the head table.

When the Mother-of-the-Bride clinked her goblet with a silver spoon, the speeches began. Starfighter pretended to listen, clapped at the end, and laughed at the appropriate moments, taking her cues from the guests. Her eyes never wandered far from the Moon Princess, occupied with Serenity's glittering blonde hair and ethereal glow. Starfighter's heart leapt into her throat when Serenity glanced her direction and smiled, waving her gloved hand.

After an eternity, where Starfighter was convinced that her heart stopped beating several times, the formalities of the reception were ended and the dance began. She retreated into the corner and watched as Serenity danced with the Prince, her stomach knotting whenever Serenity smiled or giggled.

Starfighter's mind dwelt on Serenity's lithe movements across the dance floor, appreciating the smooth curve of the princess's stomach. She contemplated begging Kakyuu to allow her to be the one guardian that she took with her to Mermaid-sei. If Kakyuu consented, at least then she wouldn't have to see the Moon Princess anymore. Maybe she could stop feeling this way. Eventually, maybe, it would stop gnawing away at her insides, hollowing her out. Her eyes glossed over with unshed tears and she blinked them away.

She plopped her chin into her cupped hands, pulled her knees closer to her body, and didn't notice when Starmaker came over with the Princess of Mercury.

"Starfighter-chan," Mercury greeted as she sat next to her.

Starfighter opened her eyes, flickered them toward the princess in the ice-blue skirt and white blouse. Her chest suddenly felt tight when Mercury took Starmaker's hand within hers.

Mercury offered her a weak smile and comforting eyes. "It has been almost thirteen passes of the sun, if your feelings for my princess are not going to disappear, you should tell her how you feel."

"Am I that obvious?" Starfighter asked as stretched her legs out, smoothing her sundress. "I can't give her what she wants, there is nothing to gain from telling her how I feel. Whatever this is, it's not meant to be."

Mercury glanced at Serenity as she kissed the prince that she danced the with. "You get nowhere in life if you are trapped by fear," Mercury said, quoting her lover.

When the music ended, Starfighter watched Serenity and her escort return to their table, sipping on water-lily wine. She groaned inwardly when Starhealer left her dance partner and joined them, sitting next to Starmaker.

"Too bad you can't transform into the male form of those Orion Arm aliens," Starhealer commented dryly, leaning back against the wall and resting her hands behind her head.

Starfighter snapped her head up. "Nani?"

**/end juu-hachi**

in the next instalment:  
_juu-ku: wherein seiya kou is reborn_


	19. juuku: wherein seiya kou is reborn

**Writer's Notes: **Thank you and hugs to all those who have read, reviewed, added this story to their favourites and/or alerts or C2s. You guys just make my day, -hugs- and -cookies-

This next segment is very short, I think the shortest chapter yet. Hopefully the next chapter will make up for it, it will be almost ten pages, and -spoiler- Seiya and Serenity will finally meet. If you feel so inclined, feel free to leave me a review.

If you are interested to check out more artwork (some new ones posted, very lovely), some spoilers and random information regarding this story, please check out: h t t p : / / m o i r a e 3 3 3 . b r a v e h o s t . c o m / s m . h t m l (remove spaces from URL).

**juu-ku: wherein seiya kou is reborn**

In the end, Queen Kakyuu decreed that her daughter and Prince Triton would live in the underwater castle on Mermaid-sei, a magnificent structure that opened to the silvery currents of water. As Princess Kakyuu was unable to siphon oxygen from the waters as her husband, the interior of the azure castle opened to air.

In her benevolence, Kakyuu allowed Starmaker and Starfighter to remain on their home planet, closer to the women that they loved, and decided to take Starhealer with her. Starfighter and Starmaker were left to serve in Queen Kakyuu's court; usually, the queen assigned them to organise her beloved ceremonies, which were becoming longer and longer as time passed.

After Starmaker left to confirm the details for the dawn ceremony honouring the arrival of King Hermes and Princess Mercury of Mercury-sei, Starfighter withdrew a stitch-bound book written in the ancient language of the Kinmuko-jins. She flipped the fragile pages, coming to a section labelled "Metamorphosis", and continued reading . . .

_. . . Mystical powers were bestowed upon the descendents of the Immortals of the Birthing Star when the seeds of life were cast into the universe. Through the eons, the Demi-Immortals created mortals with extraordinary powers-they fashioned them around a crystal, small part of the aura of the gods. The energy from these crystals, known throughout the galaxy as star seeds, manifested itself in various aspects. The descendents of the Water Immortal, Ophion, are able to transmute themselves into creatures of the sea and human-fish hybrids that are known as merfolk, while those of the Pannotia system are able to chameleon themselves to resemble the male or female forms of the other descendents of the Immortals. An anthology of the collective powers of the mortals as bestowed from the Immortals is recorded at the Imperial Galactic Library in the Athena Kingdom. These powers are not reserved for all mortals, however, only those claiming heritage from the gods, or those with sufficient power to channel into the processes of the metamorphosis. . . . _

Starfighter closed the book, her mind clamouring with possibilities as she walked over to the full-length mirror hanging on her wall. Somehow, Starfighter knew how she must initiate the process of metamorphosis-whether she was told by the powers that guided the senshi of each generation, or the knowledge was passed from senshi to senshi and buried deep within their star seeds.

She breathed deeply, slowly, breathing in and out every three seconds with a steady rhythm. Her eyes drifted shut, her fingers flexed at her sides. A tingling energy collected in her fingertips. It radiated up her arms and into her shoulders, through the muscles in her neck. She relaxed her head, dropping it forward as the warm energy spread across her chest and abdomen, as it flowed down her legs like water in a stream.

Fire pulsed through Starfighter's body, every muscle shivered with intense energy. It began to seep from her pores, trickling through her skin only to be absorbed again. She staggered forward as a searing pain shot through her naval, up through her chest. Frantic fingers clawed at her shirt as the energy cooled abruptly, feeling as though ice had formed around her heart and it could no longer pulse blood through her arteries. Her face contorted with pain and she bit her lip, but her cries escaped in screaming agony. After eternities that lasted only a second, the ice cooled the energy inside her, displaced it in a tsunamic rush.

When Starfighter opened her eyes, her body was exhausted. She slumped forward and fell to her hands and knees in one motion, resting there for several moments while beads of sweat tricked down her face. Stray strands of black hair had escaped her ponytail and were plastered against her forehead, and she hap-hazardously swept them aside as she glanced at the mirror.

A piercing scream slashed through the quarters, took away the pain and exhaustion that Starfighter felt. She jumped to her feet, her hands cupping at her now-flat chest, her eyes staring at the area just below her naval.

"It worked!" she breathed, assessing her new form in the mirror.

It took several moments before it fully sunk in.

"Eww, is this a male from the Orion Arm?"

**/end juu-ku**

in the next instalment:  
ni-_juu: wherein celestial stars are celebrated _


	20. nijuu: wherein celestial stars are celeb

**Writer's Notes: **well . . . a late chapter is better than no chapter, eh ^^ this chapter is long, just as promised, but since it is long, there is a lot that happens. Serenity and Seiya meet but there is also the underlying issues of war that threatens to tear everything apart. Please consider leaving me a review if you are liking the story. Although most of my free writing time has been spend on an original novel (100,000 words yay!) , a review will remind me that I need to post here once in a blue moon ^^

I do plan to finish this. I have it all mapped out. I am planning on going to grad school in May, but I do want to finish this. I never got the chance to finish _Losing Faith _(if you like Harry Potter, why don't you check it out ^^) but this is almost done (almost written done, not posted done).

**

* * *

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**ni-juu: wherein celestial stars are celebrated **

The Celestial Star Festival was held during the five sunrises when Columbia's brilliant white star was visible in the night sky from the Moon Kingdom. The moon civilisation, founded by the Moon Goddess Selene after the birthing of the universe, was the first planetoid that an Immortal took as her own, sowing the seeds of life in mortal beings before history began to be written.

According to the oral myths passed from the descendants of the goddess, the palace dedicated to Selene was build on the Mare Serenitatis, the Sea of Serenity. With time, a metropolis of moonstone buildings and obsidian streets were constructed on the Mare Tranquillitatis, the Sea of Tranquility, and encased within a magickal barrier that sustained life. The Silver Moon Crystal formed from the tears of Selene when she wept over her twin, Sol Invictus.

In honour of the festival and Columbia, the streets were decorated with colourful wind socks crafted to resemble regal dragons, as well as wondrous shines to the sleeping Immortals that sold omamori-lucky amulets shaped into cats, bunnies or crows. Blossoming trees lined the boulevards, nestled behind merchant vendors selling exotic foods, rare jewels and expensive souvenirs. Moonfolk dressed in golden kinmonos rang silver bells in a celebratory melody, and a woman's soft voice filtered through the crowds, singing legends of the gods.

As darkness descended, the firefly lanterns flashed on. The small insects droned in the stained glass balls that were hanging from bamboo poles. In the distance, the music elapsed into a silence, the only sounds that rang through the Moon Kingdom were the conversations between the people crowding the streets and the street vendors pedalling their wares.

Four young girls ran through the streets, ignoring the curses from the populace as they twisted and shoved their way around them. The girls, not much older than children, were dressed in outlandish clothes that matched the colour of their hair-blue, red, green and pink. When they darted between Starmaker and Princess Mercury, the girl with blue hair tied into a top-bun dropped her replicate hotchiku.

Starmaker bent forward to retrieve the bamboo flute, and the girl took it with fingers that were sticky with sugar floss before she ran off after her sisters. Starmaker watched the four bizarre Earthlings as they played a raucous melody on their wind instruments.

"Those four have been thirteen-years-old for almost five thousand years," Princess Mercury commented, staring after them as she linked her hand within Starmaker's.

"Who are they?"

The lovers stopped at a shop dedicated to banishing scrolls, charms and miniature religious icons of the Immortals. The princess gently ran her free hand along the scrolls, feeling the power behind the kanji. She paid the vendor three golden coins for one painted with the symbol for harmony.

"Pallas, Juno, Ceres and Vesta. They arrived one day in the Golden Kingdom of Earth-sei, and the King at the time, Aethlius-sama, allowed them to live within the castle."

Starmaker led her love through the white blossom trees, away from the busy streets. "How is it that they have not aged, even slightly? If I understand, the Silver Moon Crystal only slows the ageing process, it cannot stop it." The brunette picked a white rose and placed it in Mercury's hair, tucked behind her ear.

"No one knows." Mercury blushed and touched the soft petals. "It is rumoured that they are demi-Immortals, or that they have magickal stones that prevent them from growing up."

The two sat on a bench carved from adularia stone, a soothing silence around them as Mercury rested her head against the taller girl's shoulder, absent-mindedly running her fingers along Starmaker's arm. A soft breeze carried butterflies through the streets, their wings sparking silver as they fluttered through the settling night. Darkness crept higher in the streets, pulling them under, into a state of relaxation, until a penetrating voice divided the night.

"Mercury-chan, Starmaker-san! We've been searching for you," Venus called, her golden blonde hair sparkling in the fading light. "Neptune-san is performing at the Celestial Coliseum soon. Serenity-sama is expecting us." Behind her stood the brunette Princess Jupiter and the raven-haired Princess Mars.

The five young women weaved through the alleyways toward the heart of the city where the coliseum was built. While crowds of festival-patrons were pushing in through the south and north gates, they snuck past the guards stationed at the east gate and filed in the royal balcony next to their parents. The night sky shone with miniscule speckles of light, and the brightest star visible in the sky was gradually tracing her elaborate orbit, her light shining upon the stage in the centre of a crescent-moon-shaped seating area.

As the last person entered and found a seat in the back, the lights dimmed. The star Columbia shone with more brilliance as Princess Neptune appeared on stage, her violin tucked beneath her chin. She began to play a melody that brought images of waterfalls and dancing stars into everyone's minds.

* * *

Princess Serenity sat on the edge of her seat and watched Princess Neptune with glistening eyes and rested her chin in the palms of her hands, her elbows on her knees. The Moon Princess coveted the wondrous talent that the Oceanic Princess had in music and art, the often believed that a princess should be all the things that Neptune was.

When Neptune's performance was over, an Earth-sei women came onto the stage, dressed in flowing purple and adorned with silver pearls. Her song fell over the crowd, a ghost-like haunting that told of a forbidden love between a princess and a commoner. As the women sang, her curly hair fluttered around her, creating a crimson halo around her exquisite face

The mournful words touched Princess Serenity and she looked up, staring at the woman. Serenity had never seen her before, but heard rumours that she was recently instated as Queen Kalyke's honourary general. As Beryl sang, images appeared in Serenity's vision-a war, a princess and a handsome commoner-and emotions overwhelmed her. A war broke out between two kingdoms, the commoner was called to duty and the princess had wept for days, never leaving her chambers. When her lover was killed by the opposing forces, the princess took her own life, piercing a sword through her chest. When the song ended, Serenity couldn't remember the words, but the images stayed with her and she applauded the loudest.

While Lady Beryl and Princess Neptune returned to the stage, bowed and received bouquets of crimson and blue-green roses, Prince Endymion turned his attention to the Moon Princess. "May I escort you home, Princess?" He stood and offered his arm, his face lighting up.

"Thank you, but that will not be necessary, Endymion-sama." She respectfully inclined her head toward him before following her mother from the coliseum. Then, when she thought that no one was looking, she quickly ducked into an alleyway.

The first night of the Celestial Star Festival was coming to an end. Fireworks exploded high above the trees, their embers shining brighter than the stars and forming images of magnificent creatures, before falling through the sky in a trail of smoke. People were returning to their accommodations for the night, the streets becoming less and less crowded. The fireworks stopped and darkness blanketed the city. Serenity emerged from the alley as the firefly lanterns were extinguished, the insects falling asleep in their crystal orbs. She ran her hands along her arms, shivering and hugging herself as she felt the sudden drop in temperature.

"Odango-hime."

Serenity whipped around, strands of blonde hair flowing behind her. She squinted into the shadows, searching for the origin of the voice, as the wind howled around them and through the windsocks hanging from lamp posts. A young man came forward from the camouflage of a sakura tree, stopping a few feet from the princess. Serenity instinctively took an step backward although he looked familiar, like she had met him before but couldn't remember the time or place.

"N-nani?" Her gaze locked within his, her fingers brushed against her painted lips.

He bent at the waist, his left arm tucked against his chest. "My apologies," he said, straightening his back and turning on his heels, disappearing back into the darkness. Disappearing as quickly as he appeared.

Princess Serenity watched with confused eyes.

* * *

Seiya Kou mentally berated himself and wiped trace beads of sweat away from his hairline.

* * *

An hour after dawn, the morning meal was served in the Cosmic Feasting Hall, a traditional selection of rice, sushi and green tea for the Celestial Star Festival. Seiya hid in the doorway, watching as the guests, dressed in black kinmonos decorated with silver stars, filed in through the main entrance. In the centre of the hall was a long table, crafted from white birch tree, with chalices, chopsticks and plate settings. Servants continued to bring out the food, setting it in the middle of the table.

The procession of monarchs began when the guests were seated. As Queen Serenity entered, followed by her daughter, a servant hurried Seiya into a chair near the back of the chamber. After the Queen and Princess were seated at the front, King Hermes and Princess Mercury entered, followed in succession by the other planetary monarchs according to their distance from the sun.

The morning prayers were offered to the Immortals, led by the priestess, Princess Mars. Seiya bowed his head, his hands clasped on his lap, while two young women sat on either side of him.

"Starfighter, baka, what do you think you are doing?" the silver-haired senshi asked.

"This is immoral. You cannot portray this false image to the princess," the brunette added.

Seiya's eye twitched and his eyebrows creased together. "How is this not also who I am? Metamorphosis is an inheritable power, given to us by our patron Immortal. Senshi before us have used it to alter their appearance, some to conceive a child with their lovers. How do you think that Queen Kakyuu-sama and Eos-sama were able to become pregnant with Kakyuu-hime," he whispered below the whimsical voice of Mars, quickly glancing at his cousins. "I call myself Seiya Kou in this form, not Starfighter."

The raven-haired beauty finished the morning prayers and took her place next to King Ares. The servants emerged from the kitchen, carrying silver decanters with cider wine, and the morning feast began.

"Baka, Seiya." Starhealer stuffed a sushi roll into her mouth and grabbed for a rice ball.

They ate in silence. Seiya drank only green tea, his attention focussed on Princess Serenity. "Please, don't tell her," he said before getting up and leaving his cousins at the table.

* * *

The celebrations for the second day of the Celestial Star Festival began with an acrobatic performance by four young teenagers calling themselves the Asteroid Quartet. Princess Serenity had given her friends a polite reason why she could not attend, and instead walked through the busy streets, gazing longingly at the merchandise and refusing gifts from the vendors.

She paused at a spiritual kiosk draped in crimson silk and considered a lucky charm of a black cat with a crescent moon on its forehead. When the vendor was through with a group of young boys who had bought three tiger, hawk and fish charms, a soft voice behind Serenity whispered, "Odango-hime."

Serenity whirled around and stared into the familiar azure eyes of the man from last night.

"I was hoping I would see you again, Serenity-hime." The man bowed, strands of black hair falling forward from his ponytail to frame a handsome face. He straightened and tucked the loose strands back into the white ribbon holding his hair. "The myths concerning your beauty are not embellished, you truly shine with the glory of a thousand stars."

A warmness nestled in Serenity's cheeks and she turned her gaze away from him, back onto the charm that resembled her Moon Kitty, Luna. She picked it up absently, running her fingers over the polished wood. Her painted lips curved into a pleasant smile when she felt the young man's eyes focussing on her, and her heart fluttered against her ribs, her stomach somersaulted. She flickered her eyes toward him when he inhaled deeply, noticing his expression faltering as though he was conflicted in what to say, fearful that she might rebuke him.

"Forgive my abruptness, princess, I am Seiya Kou." Seiya paid the vendor for the lucky charm before Serenity could object. "May I provide you with an escort through the market square?" He cocked his elbow out and offered his arm, which she took with a bashful demeanour.

Although Serenity met this young man only a moment ago, she felt oddly safe in his presence. As they navigated through the crowds, Serenity felt her body become warmer and experienced an odd sense of déjà vu. She thought she could remember the time and place she had met him, but she couldn't see through the hazy memories. She gently cleared her throat, and blushed a deeper shade of apple when Seiya laid his hand over hers, tentatively at first, then firmly, caressing her soft skin.

"Don't I know you, sir?" she asked.

An image of Sailor Starfighter began to rise up through Serenity's mind like a bright light emerging from the deep recesses of the ocean, but it disappeared before fully forming. She frowned and pursed her lips, trying to bring the image back, but it faded completely, washed away in the rivers of the forgotten.

"I don't believe so," Seiya said.

* * *

"Don't I know you, sir?" Serenity asked.

Seiya's skin paled and his stomach knotted. "I don't believe so," he said, fearful that she would recognise him as Starfighter. He breathed a little easier when she appeared to shrug it off, her attention drawn to four young teenagers as they ran down the street. Seiya recognised them as the acrobatics who performed earlier.

As they approached another kiosk, this one selling sugared candies and green teas, Seiya let his eyes drift over Serenity. Her beauty shone from deep within her soul, shining from her silver star seed, and Seiya squinted from the light. For a brief moment, he wondered if he was the only one to see her shine, her light. But it couldn't have been true, he thought, other people must be able to see it as well, see her shining. The Moon Monarchy, descended from Selene, were the only mortals with a piece of their goddess inside of them. They shone for all people in their kingdom.

Seiya never considered that Serenity shone only for him, that he saw the light sparkling deep within her because he loved her, as Starmaker loved Princess Mercury.

* * *

Seiya and Serenity browsed through the market square until the sun began to set on the horizon, then Seiya accompanied her to the royal palace.

"It was a pleasurable afternoon, Serenity-hime. Thank you for allowing me to escort you." He locked his eyes with hers as he brought her hand to his lips, pressing the gentlest of kisses upon her silky skin.

Serenity felt herself blush, and she found it intriguing that one young man could stir a myriad of emotions inside her. Once more, she felt that the knew him, and images of Princess Kakyuu's coming of age floated up from the deep crevices of her mind.

Black hair pulled back with a satin ribbon and brilliant azure eyes that followed her movements. His eyes. But he wasn't there. There was a woman and a baby blue dress . . . but it was as though Serenity looked through cloudy waters that would never become clear again. The mysterious couple turned away, their face to the shadows and merged into one before disappearing.

As Seiya released her hand, she marvelled at the tingling sensation his lips left on her skin. "There is a costumed ball tonight, at the palace. Will I see you there?" Serenity asked, holding her hands against her chest and staring at Seiya with large, glistening eyes. She couldn't explain it, but she felt drawn to this man like she felt drawn to no other man before.

"Hai. If that if your wish, odango-hime."

* * *

The blossoming trees were painted metallic white and draped with silver hanging lanterns that emitted a faint, romantic light onto the dance floor. Metal chairs and tables were covered with thick black linens, bordered the dance floor, and were crowded with honourary guests. They drank ice wine, sake or green tea, and nibbled on sugar candies as the talked about the emerging rumours of war.

The masquerade ball was held in the Imperial Gardens of the Moon Palace, and when Seiya entered, Starmaker and Starhealer gaped, irritated with this pretence that their comrade insisted on performing for the Moon Princess. The two Starlights turned their back to Seiya when Princesses Mercury, Mars and Kakyuu joined them.

Seiya wore a traditional black suit imprinted on the left with a golden dragon. Decorative knots were fastened onto the front, and Seiya had deliberately neglected to fasten the first two, showing the delicate bones of his clavicle. The fabric was silken and lightweight, and the winds came down from the trees and blew through the individual fibres in a soft, magickal melody.

Through the black mask covering his eyes, Seiya watched Prince Endymion as he entered the gardens from the palace, guiding Serenity with his hand on the small of her back. Seiya caught Serenity's attention as she stared at him through the hanging lanterns above the dance floor.

When a dark-skinned woman approached Endymion and boldly asked for a dance, Serenity slipped away, eliminating all excuses that Endymion could possibly make. The Prince of Earth led the golden-bronze haired princess onto the dance floor, although his eyes kept staring at Serenity.

* * *

"Endymion-sama?" The girl rested her head onto his shoulder.

"Hai, Coronis-hime?"

Princess Coronis pressed her hand onto his chest and closed her eyes as they swayed slowly to the instrumental music. "Momma-san is considering Kalyke-sama's request."

Endymion furrowed his eyebrows and his body stiffened. "I hope, for your mother's sake, that she doesn't form the alliance with my mother. I do not trust this new High General, Beryl, but I cannot sway my mother's thinking." He pulled her closer against his body, in a false sense of affection, and spoke with a softer voice. "I would suggest not forming an alliance with Earth-sei, Coronis-hime. If war were to break out, I would not wish death upon you or your people."

Coronis's eyes flashed with defiance. "With our militia in Kalyke-sama's forces, the Moon Queen would not consider anything but surrender!"

The song came to an end at the same moment that Endymion shoved Coronis away, holding her at an arm's length with his hands on her shoulders. "The Moon Matriarchy has governed over the Orion Arm for over a millennium, in nothing but harmony. It is a shame that my mother is stirring empty cauldrons of war and attempting to gain more power than she deserves." Endymion bowed only a fraction of a degree to the princess and stalked away back into the castle, his fists balled at his sides and pulsing with blood.

* * *

Seiya gathered his courage, where it laid at his feet, and approached Serenity. "Odango-hime," he greeted, bending forward at the waist but keeping their gazes locked.

Serenity spun around, the blonde strands flowing from her odango whipping around her as though they danced in the warmth of her light, the beauty of her heart. "Seiya-kun!"

Her voice was song. Her exclamation rang among the trees, through the hanging lanterns and across the dance floor. For a moment, Seiya noted that the Starlights and guardian princesses watched them with worried expressions imprinted upon their faces.

The blonde inclined her head toward the ground, and Seiya thought it adorable how she sought to hide her blushing cheeks. "I was hoping you would come tonight, Seiya-kun," Serenity whispered, her demureness warming Seiya's heart. "I enjoyed our time in the market place this afternoon."

"As did I," Seiya said, forgetting his cousins' disapproving glares. The orchestra began another song, and Seiya offered Serenity his hand, leading her onto the dance floor.

Seiya breathed in, savouring the sweet scent of the princess in his arms. Her hair carried with it the aroma of roses and lilies, and her odango were tied with white vines of ivy that were embellished with pearls. The music carried them across the dance floor, through the crowds of dancers, who parted for them and watched as Seiya dipped Serenity, her head almost touching the moonstone floor. Their eyes were locked together, and nothing else mattered to Seiya beyond this moment, beyond the princess he held in his arms.

So warm, he thought. Her light, her shine . . . her body radiates it.

"Who are you?" She sighed and rested her head against his chest. "It feels like I've known you, from long ago. From somewhere that I can't quite remember. From a place that was only in my dreams."

Seiya stared down at her and felt a nauseated feeling grow inside his stomach. Her words were a puzzlement, innocent to anyone else who had heard them, but only innocent if innocent. For Seiya, they instilled a fear within his body that turned his blood to ice. For a moment, he considered telling her everything, but he simply answered, "I am Seiya Kou, odango-hime."

"Where are you from?"

Seiya paused, chewing on his bottom lip, and considered that perhaps the truth would be okay in this situation. There were male Kinmoku-jins in service in the royal court, and maybe Serenity wouldn't make that logical connection to his female form he called Starfighter. "Kinmoku-sei. I serve in Kakyuu-sama's court," Seiya explained.

Serenity perked her head up. "Like Starhealer-chan, Starmaker-chan and Starfighter-chan?"

Without delay, Seiya regretted his senseless decision to tell her the truth. There were countless other kingdoms and galaxies in the universe. "H-hai," he stammered, bracing himself for recognition as myriad explanations came into his mind. None of them seemed good enough.

But she remained quiet, and the orchestra began another song, this one with a solemn tone. They continued dancing, oblivious to the crowds of people who were watching them from the edge of the dance floor, Seiya fretful that the Moon Princess had already slipped through his fingers.

"Excuse me, Serenity-hime. Pardon the interruption, but Queen Serenity-sama is requesting your presence. She is in the throne room with Prince Endymion-sama and Queen Rhea-sama." Starmaker appeared behind the couple, her face an emotionless mask.

Serenity and Seiya stopped dancing. Serenity turned toward the Starlight. "Hai."

"Might I keep your dance partner entertained until you return, princess?" the brunette offered as she bowed.

Serenity glanced at Seiya. "Hai. Thank you," she said when Seiya didn't object to the offer. His face was a careful mask. "Eeto . . . Starmaker-chan, have you seen Starfighter-chan?" she asked with a small voice as she looked down, clasping together her hands against her chest.

A spasm of irritation passed Seiya's face when he noticed Starmaker's judgmental eyes flicker toward him. "She is on Kinmoku-sei," Starmaker lied. "Kakyuu-sama had need of her services and refused her request to come."

Something that Seiya couldn't explain glistened in Serenity's eyes. "I see. Thank you. Tell her . . . tell her that I wish she could have come to the festival. Excuse me, Seiya-kun." She quickly turned around and rushed into the castle.

Seiya and Starmaker sat at a small table beneath two shining lanterns. "Doesn't this form seem wrong?" Starmaker flourished her hand, indicating the male form that Starfighter transformed into.

"No. It actually seems right."

"Baka. You know Serenity-hime has been asking about you," Starmaker snapped as she crossed her arms and legs. Her face was sharp angles, her beauty twisted from abhorrence at Seiya's façade. "The other you. You should tell her."

A servant passed with sparkling white cider, and Seiya grabbed two chalices by their long stems, offering one to his cousin. "I will. . . . Eventually. Please, Starmaker, let this rest."

Starmaker tilted the chalice, taking a sip. "The longer you carry on this pretence, the more she will hate you when she finds out the truth. You cannot keep deceiving her, Starfighter! She needs to know that Seiya and Starfighter are the same person!" She banged the glass down, cracking the china with hairline fractures.

Seiya tightened his grip on the glass, his knuckles turning white. "This form is not any less than who I am," he spoke with an practiced tone, draining his cider before continuing. "I'm more than Starfighter, I'm Seiya Kou again."

"You changed sexes! Seiya Kou was just some little girl playing dress-up with her mother's senshi fuku until she became something more, until she became Starfighter!" she growled, keeping her voice to nothing but a whisper.

Seiya felt his blood coursing through his body, into his arms, pounding in his fingertips. He balled his hands into fists, striking them against the table. "We have this power, why not use it?" His voice echoed through the gardens and lured undesirable attention toward the two Starlights.

"I doubt that her honoured Pannotia-sama intended this power for deception." The brunette cocked her eyebrow, her voice calmer than it was before.

"You found your soul mate, Taiki, in a woman who accepts you for who you are." An arrow of jealousy pierced through Seiya's chest, punctured his heart. The jealousy instantly dissipated into resentment when Starmaker's eyes hardened with contempt.

"You should give Serenity-hime that same opportunity. . . . I should tell her myself," Starmaker warned, her shoulders rigid as she crossed her arms. "But I won't. You are still my comrade, my blood. You need to tell her though, Starfighter. Before she finds out."

_**/end nii-juu**_

in the next instalment:  
_nii-juu-ichi: wherein saturn-hime's birth is an ill omen_


	21. niijuuichi: wherein saturnhime's birth

**Writer's Notes: **I apologise for the long time between updates, grad school has unfortunately gotten the best of me. Please consider leaving me a review if you are enjoying this story, and thanks muchly to all who have reviewed, added the story or me to their favourites or followed us. I appreciate all the comments, they have always reminded me that I need to post more on this story, so I hope everyone enjoys this next, albeit short, chapter! :)

It has also come recently to my attention that bravehost, the free website server that I was using to post fanart from this story as well as others, among random information on my fanfiction, has become non-existent. They have changed their free server, so the previous URLs given to fanart and such is no longer working. Please stay tuned for a new web address where images, information, etc, can then be found. Thank you.

**slipping memories**

**nii-juu-ichi: wherein saturn-hime's birth is an ill omen**

Queen Rhea was an exquisite woman with flowing hair the colour of the sun-star rising over clear waters. Her eyes were dark purple, lined finely with white residue crushed from the rare mineral, white galena, and her cheeks were smeared with rose-coloured mica powder, giving her a glow that paralleled that of her High Queen. Her charcoal-silver dress wrapped around her body and over one shoulder, to be tied around her stomach, still swollen from giving birth less than a sun pass ago. Hidden within the warmth of her arms, and cocooned tenderly in light purple cloth, was a baby girl with a head full of dark purple hair. Queen Rhea was pressing her painted lips to her baby's forehead when Princess Serenity entered.

With one leg crossing over the other and a slight bend of the knees, the Moon Princess curtsied to the Queen of Saturn-sei. "Queen Rhea-sama, Princess Saturn-hime," she acknowledged graciously before turning toward her mother and Prince Endymion. "Momma-sama, Endymion-sama."

Queen Serenity came forward to stand before her daughter. She ran her hands along the satin of her white dress, smoothing the unwrinkled fabric, before wringing them together and clasping them in front of her. "Serenity, my beloved daughter," her melodic voice was higher than the princess was accustomed to, there was an edge of desperation laced within it. She unclasped her hands, running them along her arms as though the warm evening air cooled her.

"I am aware that the rumours of war have reached even the darkest star at the edge of the universe, and I do not wish for you to hear this from anyone except your loving mother. Prince Endymion has informed me that Queen Coronaeus has offered her militia to Queen Kalyke. That is the sixth alliance that Kalyke has forged.

"There is a dark omen associated with the birth of Saturn-hime. She is the protector of the star of rebirth and destruction; through her limitless powers, she is able to destroy a dying era. With war imminent, her birth symbolises death, decay and devastation to our kingdoms. Until this time, Rhea has always miscarried or the infant was stillborn.

"I must admit, I was glad. It is apparent to me that to encounter Kalyke in war would mean the end of our era and the beginning of a new one. I do not wish to surrender to the Earth Queen, Serenity. I will continue to forge alliances myself, and hopefully together we can silence Kalyke and her high general, without the needless bloodshed. I thought you should know, Serenity, before you hear the rumours."

Princess Serenity's voice caught in her throat as she listened to her mother's words. With the power emanating from the Silver Moon Crystal, time passed more slowly for the mortals of the Orion Arm and outer galaxies. In half a millennium, a mere flicker on the mortal's lives, Serenity had seen her mother's hair shine with more silvery-white, her eyes weary with fine lines around the edges. When the Queen continued, Serenity snapped from her reverie.

"I have an important mission for you. Something that I cannot entrust with anyone else. In the galaxy Rodinia, there is a small planet ruled by Queen Hera. I want you to take a message to her. Leave tomorrow with your four guardians." Queen Serenity placed her hands on her daughter's shoulders. "We must act promptly, Serenity, if our peaceful future is to be preserved."

_**/end nii-juu-ichi**_

in the next instalment:  
_nii-juu-nii: wherein seiya-kun would like to see odango-hime again_


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